Known as the Jim Crow laws (after a popular minstrel act developed in the antebellum years), these segregationist statutes governed life in the South through the middle of the next century, ending only after the hard-won successes of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. In the 1876 election, accusations of corruption stemmed from officials involved in counting the necessary and hotly contested electoral votes of both sides, in which Rutherford B. Hayes was elected by a congressional commission . Why did the Democrats lose the presidential election of 1860? Republican reformers, however, hoped to thwart his nomination. Roberts of New York served as chairman, and Jonathan Blanchard was the keynote speaker. Cookie Settings, one of the most bitterly contested presidential elections in history, removal of the last federal troops from Louisiana, Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States, Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Otherand the Birds Loved It, The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamondand Why the British Won't Give It Back, Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog. Why did the Republicans win the presidential election of 1896? Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. 65. As Eric Foner recounts in his book Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction, Hayes had pledged in his acceptance of the nomination to bring the blessings of honest and capable local self government to the South if electeda statement that could be taken as code for ending Reconstruction. In his acceptance of the nomination, Hayes wrote that if elected, he would bring the blessings of honest and capable local self-government to the Southin other words, restrict federal enforcement of unpopular Reconstruction-era policies. Senate control is huge for multiple reasons, not least because by pulling it off in deeply unpromising political conditions, Democrats cemented the most stunning showing for an incumbent. Although 1876 marked the last competitive two-party election in the South before the Democratic dominance of the South until 1948 and that to of the Border States until 1896, it was also the last presidential election (as of 2020) in which the Democrats won the wartime Unionist Mitchell County, North Carolina;[28] Wayne County, Tennessee; Henderson County, Tennessee; and Lewis County, Kentucky. Why didn't James Weaver win the presidential election of 1892? Fish later confirmed that he would have declined the presidential nomination even if it had been offered to him. In fact, even as the electoral commission deliberated, national party leaders had been meeting in secret to hash out what would become known as the Compromise of 1877. Proponents of the Electoral College. At the time, support for Reconstruction was dwindling across the nation. We soon fell into a refreshing sleep, Hayes later wrote in his diary about the events of November 7, 1876. The Reconstruction era (1865-1877) ushered in new rights and opportunities for formerly enslaved people but also saw ongoing racial division, violence against Black Americans, economic problems,. In the decades to come, disenfranchisement of Black voters throughout the South, often through intimidation and violence, helped ensure the racial segregation imposed by the Jim Crow lawsa system that endured for more than a half-century, until the advances of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Why was there controversy around the presidential election of 1876? Why did the Federalists lose the presidential election of 1800? Why did the South secede following the presidential election of 1860? Eminent counsel appeared for each side, and there were double sets of returns from every one of the states named. They chose the reforming Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, who had been gradually building support during the convention until he finished second on the sixth ballot. Students also viewed The Rise Of "Jim Crow" 13 terms Ryan_Hansen519 hist 10 terms jordyn_rae_jensen . Peter Cooper was nominated for president with 352 votes to 119 for three other contenders. The convention was held from June 8 to 10, 1875 in Liberty Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [27] Since all of the remaining available Justices were Republicans, they had already selected Justice Joseph P. Bradley, who was considered the most impartial remaining member of the court. Why was the election of 1800 a turning point in American history? However, the Democratic elector, C. A. Cronin, reported one vote for Tilden and two votes for Hayes. Leaders of the reform Republicans met privately and considered alternatives. Why did the Populists lose the presidential election of 1896? Omissions? In the end, after a series of votes along strict party lines, the commission awarded Hayes all three of the contested states in early March 1877, making him the winner by a single electoral vote. The results of the election remain among the most disputed ever. Why did Winfield Scott lose the presidential election of 1852? Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. This newfound behavior may offer a clue to how these reptiles will respond to a warming planet. Why did the presidential election of 1876 anger Democrats? Why was the presidential election of 1840 considered modern? Why was the 2000 presidential election controversial? copyright 2003-2023 Homework.Study.com. Meanwhile, the Democratic platform called for immediate reform of the federal government and, to forestall Republican charges of sectionalism, committed itself to the permanence of the Federal Union. It also called for civil service reform and restrictions on Chinese immigration to the United States. Rutherford B. HayesRepublican via Electoral Commission. Read about the Election of 1876s significance and impact. After a first count of votes, Tilden had won 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165, with 20 votes from four states unresolved. The Greenback ticket did not have a major impact on the election's outcome by attracting slightly under one percent of the popular vote, Cooper nonetheless had the strongest performance of any third-party presidential candidate since John Bell in 1860. Why did the number of white male voters increase between the elections of 1824 and 1828? When Blanchard declined to run, Walker was unanimously nominated for president. Jackson's elections were the first in which all white men could vote. Who became president after the 1876 presidential election? In the late 19th century, the Democratic Party's base was centered in the South and focused on state rights. Why did the presidential election of 1876 anger Democrats? STDs are at a shocking high. However, they had miscalculated, as Davis promptly excused himself from the commission and resigned as a Justice to take his Senate seat. "In 1877, Congress did not. Why did the Democrats lose the presidential election of 1840? HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. We should follow that precedent., The comparison drew criticism from scholars, including Penn State University political scientist Mary E. Stuckey, who tells the Dallas News that its historically misleading. For starters, the electoral college result was incredibly tight: Just one electoral vote separated the candidates. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast that appeared in the February 17, 1877 issue of the American political magazine Harper's Weekly. [25], The commission first decided not to question any returns that were prima facie lawful. Why was the presidential election of 1936 a watershed year? His party chairman went to bed with a bottle of whiskey. Although Republicans argued that he had the right to decide which votes to count, Democrats disagreed and argued that the Democratic majority in Congress should decide. The Compromise of 1877 was an off-the-record deal, struck between Republicans and Democrats, that determined the victor of the 1876 presidential election.