Rutherford B. Hayes is remembered today almost entirely for the irregular Election of 1876 that brought him to power and for the withdrawal of Federal troops from the South. Honestly, they are the salient points that make him an historical figure. The fact that he was an anti-slavery politician, a brave soldier, and an advocate for Civil Service Reform can never overcome his weak showing in the election and his curtailment of Federal protections for Blacks. This podcast does a decent job of explaining the basic facts, but the tragedy was what befell African Americans, not Hayes’s own suffering.
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