Name _______________________________________ Date _______________ CLaSS _________
Geography and History Activity
netw rks
Reconstruction, 1865–1877
The Election of 1876
A Shifting Political Landscape
By the mid-1870s, many Republicans were tiring of Reconstruction. Voters
and politicians in the North were more concerned about solving their own
economic problems than they were about protecting african americans
from discrimination. Southern Democrats, meanwhile, were working hard
to regain control of their state and local governments. By appealing to
white racism and defining elections as a struggle between whites and
african americans, Democrats were able to win back the support of poor
whites and small farmers who had supported Republicans. By 1876,
Democrats had taken control of all Southern state legislatures except those
of Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. In those states, the large
number of african american voters, protected by Union troops, were able
to keep Republicans in power.
Electoral Dispute
ELECTORAL VOTE
TOTAL: 369
2
CA
6
OR
1
NV
3
NH 5
VT 5 ME
7
MN
5
CO
3
NE
3
KS
5
TX
8
WI
10
IA
11
MI
11
NY
35
PA
29
IL IN OH
21 15 22 WV
VA
MO
KY 5 11
15
12
NC
10
TN 12
AR
SC
6
GA 7
MS AL
10 11
LA 8
8
FL
4
MA
13
RI 4
CT 6
NJ 9
DE 3
MD 8
49.9% 50.1%
184
185
POPULAR VOTE
TOTAL: 8,418,659
1.16%
97,709
47.92%
4,034,142
50.92%
4,286,808
Hayes (Republican)
Tilden (Democratic)
Other
Territories
Disputed Electoral Vote
* Numbers on map show electoral votes per state.
** 20 disputed electoral votes were awarded to Hayes by Congressional Commission.
The map above shows the final outcome of the Electoral College vote in the presidential election of 1876. The electoral vote was disputed in Oregon,
Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina and eventually granted to Hayes. Note that Tilden won more popular votes than Hayes but still lost the election.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
the shifting political landscape in the South complicated the presidential
election of 1876. the Democrats nominated Samuel tilden, a former
governor of New York, to run against Rutherford B. Hayes, the former
governor of Ohio nominated by the Republicans. On election Day, tilden
had clearly won 184 electoral votes, nearly all in the South, but this was
one vote short of the majority of 185 needed for victory. Hayes, sweeping
the West and carrying much of the North, had only 165 electoral votes,
leaving him 20 votes short of victory. those twenty electoral votes were
disputed. Nineteen of the disputed votes were in the three Southern states
that Republicans still controlled: Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida.
Both sides claimed victory in these three states, but there had been so
much fraud on both sides that it was unclear who the real winner was.
When the highly partisan findings of a congressional commission were
submitted to Congress for approval, several Southern Democrats joined
with Republicans to accept the commission’s findings that the 20 disputed
votes should go to Hayes.
Name________________________________________ Date ________________ CLASS __________
Geography and History Activity Cont.
netw rks
Reconstruction, 1865–1877
Directions: Answer the questions below in the space provided.
Understanding Concepts
1.
Why do you think the only Southern states that Hayes won were
Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina?
_____________________________________________
2.
Why do you think Tilden was able to beat Hayes in some
Northern states?
______________________________________________
3.
Why do you think some Southern Democrats approved of the decision
to grant Hayes all of the disputed electoral votes?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
4.
How is it possible that Tilden won more popular votes but still lost the
electoral vote?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
5.
How might the political situation in the South have been different if
Tilden had won any one of the disputed states?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Applying the Concept