Did the Compromise of 1877 Really End Reconstruction?
Competing Narratives on the Compromise of 1877
“The Compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement between southern Democrats and allies of the Republican Rutherford Hayes to settle the result of the 1876 presidential election and marked the end of the Reconstruction era”[1].
|
Allan Peskin:
"The compromise negotiations may have significance insofar as they illuminate the internal dynamics of both southern politics and the Republican party, but in the immediate context of the Hayes- Tilden dispute their impact was less than decisive [3]... A deal whose major terms are never carried out appears suspiciously like no deal at all" [4]. |
Was the Compromise of 1877 Even a Compromise?
About This Creator:
Duncan Spilsbury is a senior at Dickinson College. This website was created by Duncan as a final project for History 211: History of U.S. Elections.
Duncan Spilsbury is a senior at Dickinson College. This website was created by Duncan as a final project for History 211: History of U.S. Elections.
[1] “Compromise of 1877,” History, November 27, 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/compromise-of-1877.
[2] "Life Portrait of James Garfield," C-SPAN, July 26, 1999, https://www.c-span.org/video/?151093-1/life-portrait-james-garfield.
[3] Allan Peskin, “Was There a Compromise of 1877?” The Journal of American History, 60:1 (June 1973). 74. [JSTOR]
[4] Ibid, 65.
[5] Thomas Nast. “A Truce - Not a Compromise.” Illustration. Harper’s Weekly, February 17, 1877. https://elections.harpweek.com/09Ver2Controversy/Cartoon-Medium.asp?UniqueID=14.