Why did Reconstruction End? Flashcards
How did Reconstruction end?
Historians say Reconstruction ended in 1877 although it may be argued that it never accomplished much in the first place due to Southern states undermining it early on.
How did the 1876 Presidential Election run?
1876 Presidential election:
The Republican Party were champions of African American Civil Rights.
Rutherford B Hayes eventually became President.
The election was very tight, with 20 contested electoral college votes in it from the Southern states.
One reason for this was due to African Americans being prevented from voting.
What was the Compromise of 1877?
Southern States in 1877 allowed Rutherford B Hayes to be President if they could run their own Democratic governments to run the South.
They would accept Union if they could run the South how they wanted. This was the Compromise of 1877. Legislation passed became meaningless.
What undermined Reconstruction?
People became disillusioned with federal government punishing Southern States, as shown in the 1874 Mid Term Elections where the Democrats made gains.
With more Democrats in the Senate, this provided resistance to civil rights legislation for President Grant.
President Grant wanted to build bridges with the South and didn’t want to pass lots of pro-Civil Rights legislation.
The 1876 Presidential Election: democrats intimidated black voters and prevented them from voting. Republicans tried to encourage people to vote multiple times.
What was the impact of the Depression?
1873 - Depression occurred with farmers earning less revenue from cotton alongside having to pay slaves, causing Republicans to ramp up taxation.
What did Ulysses S Grant fail to accomplish?
Ulysses S Grant didn’t send in an army to stop violence during the 1876 Presidential election.
This showed that things were beginning to descend.
