In 1881, following President James Garfield’s assassination, the country was in turmoil. Many suspected Vice President Chester Arthur, a long-time beneficiary of the spoils system, to be a party to the plot and dreaded his ascension to the presidency.
In the immediate aftermath—and before the height of the women’s suffrage movement—New Yorker Julia Sand wrote to the soon-to-be President. Between August 1881 and September 1883, Sand penned 23 letters to President Arthur imploring him to abandon his corrupt machinations, become the leader the country deserved, and champion civil service reform.
Please join the Competitive Enterprise Institute for the documentary premiere of Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand to discover the outsized effect a single citizen can have on our political system.
When: 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Where: Miracle Theatre, 535 8th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Questions: [email protected] or 202.331.2764
Reception and documentary premiere followed by panel discussion with the filmmaker and featured historians.
Read Julia Sand’s letters, now fully transcribed for the first time, here.
Destry Edwards is the Media Production and Studio Manager at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Before joining CEI, Destry worked at FreedomWorks and Blaze Media. Destry holds a B.S. in cinema production from Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
Scott S. Greenberger is the executive editor at Stateline and the author of the critically acclaimed The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur. Greenberger holds a B.A. in history from Yale University and a master’s in international relations from George Washington University.
Michelle A. Krowl is the Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Krowl received a B.A. in history from UC Riverside and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from UC Berkeley.
Film Tour
If you are interested in partnering with us on our film tour, please contact Amanda France and Nicole Hoegler at [email protected].