Federal Occupation Ends
While the new South continued to rebuild under the watchful eye of federal troops, Americans continued westward settlement. The business of the country did not stop while the Southern states rebuilt. During this time, President Grant’s administration was accused of corruption as the movement of funds for expansion created room for government officials to accept bribes or file false reports. Though Grant was a well-liked and respected leader, some of the congressmen and cabinet members were unscrupulous. Historians have generally associated Grant’s term with financial scandals and government corruption.
In Southern states where whites constituted a majority, they used the power of their vote to gain control of state governments and representation to Congress. In states where blacks were a majority, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan used intimidation tactics to keep blacks from voting. As another method to use pressure to keep blacks from voting, some of the land-owning planters refused to rent land to blacks and some of the merchants refused to give them credit.
Southern white Democrats began to gradually take control of Southern states, and by 1874, Democrats had won control of the House of Representatives. As Northern support for reconstruction began to fade, Grant began to reduce the number of military troops used to enforce rules that prohibited discrimination in the South. By the end of 1876, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida were the only states under Republican control. Grant was not chosen as the Republican nominee to run for president during the election of 1876.
Portrait of Hayes
Instead, Rutherford B. Hayes was chosen to run against Democrat Samuel Tilden. The election of 1876 results showed Tilden winning the popular vote, but the electoral votes were a different story. The nominee would need 185 electoral votes to win, but 20 of them from Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, and Oregon were in dispute.
Election of 1876
Tilden won 184 electoral votes and Hayes had 165, but with the 20, he would reach the 185 and win the election. The dispute would have to be solved by Congress. The Senate had a Republican majority and the House of Representatives had a Democratic majority so a commission made up of senators, representatives, and Supreme Court justices was created to make the decision. The members of the commission were divided equally among Republicans and Democrats, with one independent. In order for Hayes to be elected, they had to compromise. The decision is known as the Compromise of 1877. Under the compromise, the Democrats on the committee would vote for Hayes and the Republicans would ensure the following:
- There would be a Southerner on Hayes’ cabinet
- The federal troops would withdraw from Southern states
- The government would subsidize the building of the Southern railroad system