Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 was a pivotal agreement that marked the end of the Reconstruction era in the United States. Following the contentious 1876 presidential election, where Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, claimed victory over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden despite losing the popular vote, the compromise aimed to resolve the political stalemate. Southern Democrats agreed to accept Hayes as president on the condition that he would withdraw federal troops from Southern states, allowing Democrats to regain control. This withdrawal led to the erosion of protections for African Americans, as the promised political and social reforms were largely abandoned. Consequently, race relations deteriorated in the South, with African Americans facing increasing discrimination and disenfranchisement. The effects of the compromise contributed to nearly a century of systemic inequality and social restrictions, persisting until the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This historical event is crucial for understanding the complexities of post-Civil War America and its lasting impact on race relations.
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 represents the attempt toward equality that failed during Reconstruction (1863–1877) when newly elected President Rutherford B. Hayes ended efforts to establish a biracial democracy in the South. During his presidential campaign, Hayes favored “home rule” for the South as he campaigned against New York governor Samuel J. Tilden, a Democratic reformer. Although Tilden won the popular vote, Hayes claimed victory in South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. Republican Reconstruction governments still controlled these states, and it was doubtful that a former Union general could carry them by any other means than fraud.
Many southern Democrats, particularly scalawags, accepted Hayes’s election, particularly if he would leave the South alone after taking office. Ohio Republicans and southern Democrats met in a Washington, DC, hotel and reached an agreement that if Hayes could assume the presidency, he would remove federal troops from South Carolina and Louisiana so that Democrats could regain control. Hayes consented after being sworn in. Race relations worsened because the Democrats ignored their promises to treat southern blacks fairly and Hayes forgot his pledge to ensure the rights of freedmen. Reconstruction had allowed African Americans to reconstitute their families, participate in government, and enjoy equality in dealing with white people, but the 1877 Compromise engendered a hatred of reform throughout the South for nearly one hundred years. African Americans would suffer social restrictions until the 1960s.