Election Of 1872 Essay

Every election in United States history has had its impact, but the elections that are during and soon after wars are usually more significant than the others. Between 1865 and 1872, the American Civil War and its ideals have not yet fully left the hearts of many citizens, both in the north and the south. But, after the election of 1872, the mentality shifts from that of the past, to the promise of the future. Because of the election of 1872, the United States embraced new ideas and new figures in the American political system. By 1872, all of the previously seceded states have rejoined the Union, but there were still controversies over the future of the United States. At the time, the Reconstruction period was undergoing and the South was

The Democratic Party secured the South, and the Republican Party secured the North as expected, but the difference was the Midwest and the west coast, which the Republican secured and pushed them over the top. The electoral vote however was a different story, having Grant surpassing Greeley by over 200 votes with Grant holding 286, and Greeley holding only 66 votes out of a total of 352. This electoral landslide secured Grant’s reelection, but the death of Horace Greeley in November of 1872 made it definite that Grant stayed in office. This was the first and only time in American history where a candidate died during the electoral process. Almost immediately following the election, Grant was involved in the Credit Mobilier scandal involving The Union Pacific Railroad Company dissolved all the trust that Grant has changed since his first term. According to James Hoyt of the University of Houston, the Credit Mobilier scandal, “tarnished the reputation of the Grant Administration and left him powerless for the remainder of his second term.” Overall, Grant brought no change to the role of his presidency in his second term and only prolonged Reconstruction and the past views of Radical