Program Information

The Presidential Election in 1876 ended in deadlock. Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican Governor of Ohio, won, but the deals flew thick and fast.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: The Presidential Election in 1876 ended in deadlock. Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican Governor of Ohio, won, but the deals flew thick and fast.

Intro.: Dan Roberts and A Moment in Time with Jamestown - Journey of Democracy, tracing the global advance of democratic ideals since the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.

Content: After fifteen years of war, Reconstruction and corruption under Republican President Ulysses S. Grant the electorate was toying with returning the White House to the Democrats. The Democrats already controlled the House of Representatives and nominated for president the reform-minded Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden. Sensing an electoral disaster, the Republicans picked a fresh face, attorney, former Ohio Assemblyman and war-hero, Governor Rutherford B. Hayes.

On the day after the election, Tilden was ahead by 250,000 in the popular vote but the Electoral College was still in play. The Electoral College was designed by the founders to place a brake on popular enthusiasm. No one votes directly for the President - instead voters cast their ballots for Electors equal to the number of representatives and senators from their state in congress. In 1876 the election was in question because the Electoral votes from several Southern states were in dispute. Next time: Hayes wins, but just barely.

This series is supported by the Jamestown 400th Federal Commission with its International Conference Series on the Foundations and Future of Democracy, see jamestownjourney.org, at the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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