Election+of+1876

Election of 1876

The election of 1876 of had a profound effect on the history of the United States. It gave America a brand new president with controversial decisions and outcomes. It caused many disputes within states and caused a stir in the political world. It also brought a changed to America. In the next few paragraphs it will discuss what led to this event?, how it fit into history?, and how it change America?

A lot of things led to The Election of 1876. One of the major things was the north decaying attention to the events of the south such as the "Negro question", and "carpetbag government". Their attention shifted to national concers such as the panic of 1873. What also led to The Election of 1876 was the decreasing support of the Reconstruction by the judicial branch, the public, and the Republican Party. Other two things that led to The Election of 1876 was the corruption of the Ulysses Grant's administration, in which people and members of Grant's administration accepted bribes from businessmen who didn't want to pay their taxes, and the Democrats return to power in the south known as the redemption.

The Election of 1876 was one of the most controversial election in American history. Candidates were Rutherford B. Hayes, James G. Blane, Benjamin H. Briston, Oliver P. Morton, Roscoe Conckings, Samuel J. Tilden, Thomas A. Hendricks, Winfield Scott Hancock, and William Allen. The election came to an end with both Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden vieing for electoral votes. Tilden had outpolled Hayes in the popular vote and had 184 electorial votes to Hayes's 165 with 20 votes uncounted. These 20 electorial votes were in dispute within Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Although the race was close, Hayes won the presidential nomination on became the 19th president in the United States. This election saw a lot of first in U.S history. Tilden was the first presidental candidate in American history to lose in the electorial college even though he won the majority of the popular vote. Meanwhile, Hayes was the first and only president whose election was decided by a congressional commission. The things that happened in this election resurfaced in the 2000 presidential election.

This event changed America for a lot of reasons. One reason is that it brought an end to the Reconstruction, in which the Republicans agreed to remove federal troops from the South. This caused an increase in power for the "Redeemers" in the south. It was also key in the creation of the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission was a fifteen member party consisting of 5 representatives, 5 senators, and 5 supreme court justices. It was created to resolve the dispute of the election which resulted in the Commission giving Hayes all of the twenty disputed votes. This did not sit well with Tilden's supporters who felt they were cheated out of a victory and voiced their resentment. It was also the end of the Grant's corrupt administration.

The election of 1876 really "shooked" up the landscape of the United States politically. It brought an end of one administration, and gave birth to another in the most controverisal way possible. It left many people pleased with the result and left many others angry. It also caused a stir in the public and reiterated the heated topic of African-American rights. That is why The Election of 1876 is considered a changing event in American history.