Presidential election 1876 and the great compromise of 1877

Presidential election 1876 and the great compromise of 1877
How Congress can influence presidential elections
Article 2: Executive Branch
Congress role in election processWhen there is a vacancy in the presidency or a potential tie, which house decides on the president?When there is a vacancy in the vice presidency, which house decides on the vice president?Illustration of how this works.
Background to election of 1876
Civil War ResultsPresident Lincoln AssassinationReconstructionPresident Johnson ImpeachmentPresident Grant’s Administration corruption with finances and railroads
Civil War
After Civil War, federal troops occupied many areas in the SouthRepublican controlled Reconstruction governments in many statesSouth slow in rebuildingRise ofKu Klux Klanin which thousands were violently killed, particularly newly freed African AmericansGoals of Klan:Destroy Republican PartyThrow out Reconstruction GovernmentsAid planter classPrevent African Americans from exercising their political rights
Grant Administration 1868-1876
Corruption and lack of confidenceweakened Republican PartyScandal over finances, railroadsGrant’s appointees to the cabinet were considered dishonestVice president, private secretary and Secretary of War destroyed Republican unityHarder to imposeReconstruction Plans
Panic 1873-1875
Depression and disputeover currencyFinancierswanted to get rid ofpapermoney issued during the Civil War and back currency bygoldFarmers and manufacturerswanted more paper money, cheaper and helped pay off debtsTook until 1879 for economy to improve
Desire for Unity
ReconciliationReconstructionwas failing in many areasViolenceescalated in SouthAfrican Americansdenied civil and political rights
EndingReconstructionAfrican AmericansUnityof nation
Louisiana, South Carolina and Floridastill controlled by Republican Reconstruction GovernmentSouth stilleconomicallydeprived
Election Concerns
Both wanted to endReconstructionHayes wasCivil War heroMiddle of the road Republican
Tilden DemocratGovernor of New YorkBelieved inReform of Reconstructionpolicies
Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden
Needed185Electoral Votes to win in 1876Tildenhad won the popular vote 4,300,000Hayes 4,036,000
Outcome depended on Louisiana, South Carolina and FloridaRepublican Reconstruction governments
Election Results
Congressional Election Commission
January 1877Congress formedElectoral Commission8 Republicans7 DemocratsDemocrats accused Republicans of constantlyreminding voters of Hayes’ Civil War experience“waving the bloody shirt”Commission came up with Compromise in order forRutherford Hayesto become president
Northern Republicans promised Southern Democrats:one cabinet postFederal patronageSubsidiaries for improvements in South
Withdrawal of Federal troops from Louisiana and South CarolinaSouthern Democrats supported Hayes as president
Compromise of 1877
Results of Election of President Rutherford B. Hayes
Election broughtunityof the nation after Civil War and ReconstructionHayes’ strict enforcementof law, holding other officials responsibleSelected cabinet based onexperience and merit: one was an ex-Confederate and another was a liberalHayesnot interestedin politics, planned to serve one termSupported rebuilding of South and removal of federal troopsWanted anew Republican Partyto take hold in thesouthwith support from businessmen and conservatives“Solid South”remained primarilyDemocraticuntil recent times
Hayes becomes president by winning electoral vote185 to 184
Tilden accepted resultsDied 1886 with $6 million fortune$2 million given to start the New York City Public Library
Result of Compromise of 1877
Rights of AfricanAMericans
Hayes pledgedrightsof Negroes in SouthSupportedrestoration of honest local self-governmentMany laws put into placelimitingcivil and political rights of African AmericansRights of African Americans remindedunresolvedAmendments 13, 14 and 15 stayed in the ConstitutionThese amendments would be used for support in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s
Election of 2000
Republican Presidential nominee GovernorGeorge W. Bush(TX)VP nominee Senator Richard Cheney (WY)
Election 2000
Democrat Presidential nominee Vice PresidentAl GoreVP nominee Senator Joe Lieberman (CT)
With your partner answer the questions given to you
Group Discussion after small group work
Group activity/Exit slip: Worksheet project
Resources
Whitehouse.govu.s.history.com