The Compromise of 1877

In 1876, there was to be a new elected a new president in the United States of America. The two candidates were Rutherford B. Hayes as a republican and Samuel J. Tilden as a democrat. This election was known as one of the most controversial elections in the history of America do to the end results of the new elected president.

The Presidential election of 1876 was close between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden. Hayes electoral vote was 185 and Tilden’s electoral vote was 184. But Tilden had won the popular vote 4,288,546 to Hayes popular vote 4,034,311. Even though Tilden had won with the popular vote, Hayes was still elected as the new president of 1876. Unlike any other election, the two parties had decided to elect him by making a deal called the Compromise of 1877.

The Compromise of 1877 was a deal made by the Republicans and the Democrats. The deal was that the Democrats would agree to give Hayes the victory in the presidential election he had not clearly won. In return, the new president agreed to remove the remaining federal troops from the southern states. He also agreed to support appropriations for rebuilding levees long the Mississippi River, and to give huge subsides to southern railroads.

The compromise opened the way