Rating: 
Summary: We Who Forgot the Past...
Review: Most people, if they've heard of the infamous 1876 Presidential election at all, recall it only when comparisons were made to the confused aftermath of the 2000 campaign. There were many similarities in that the Democratic candidate ultimately failed to win the Presidency despite outpolling the Republican in the popular vote, and the final judgement was delayed long after the actual voting because of irregularities in Florida (among other states in 1876). But the most glaring thing the two elections have in common is that in both cases the will of the people was ultimately thwarted by that most undemocratic of Constitutional anachornisms: The Electoral College.Author Roy Morris Jr. rescues the 1876 election from the dustbin of history with his diligent research and lively prose. He also does not hesitate to editorialize on the outcome, as the title of the book makes perfectly clear. It's not that Morris is unfair to former Civil War General Rutherford B. Hayes, who was ultimately declared the winner in an unbeleivably convoluted series of back room dealings, quite the contrary in fact. Morris instead lays outs the facts so that the reader can plainly see that New York Governor Samuel Tilden, despite being a less than perfect candidate, deserved a better fate. The stakes were high in America's centenial year. Reconstruction was winding down (indeed, Hayes would ultimately end it), white southeners were reasserting their political muscle in a way that would ultimately lead to Jim Crow and the disenfranchisement of the former slaves and tensions between the parties were running high enough that a resumption of Civil War hostilities seemed a distinct possibility. The outgoing, scandal-plauged Grant administration burdoned Hayes, while Tilden was saddled with a Democratic party that had been the home of the Copperheads during the Civil War. Like 2000, the country was nearly evenly split politically, though unlike 2000, as Morris points out, the outcome did not dramatically effect the course of American history because Morris supposes that Tilden would have made many of the same decsions that were made by Hayes as President. Overall, an extremely well-written and important work that will be enjoyed be history buffs and even by more general readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting piece of history
Review: Mr. Morris is to be commended for providing a fascinating account of the 1876 election. His description of the surrounding events is outstanding, and the book is highly readable. My only criticism is that he did not provide enought explanation or analysis for some of the events that occurred, in particular Tilden's lack of assertiveness following the election. Aside from this limitation, I found the book very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: A Rousing History of a Misunderstood Era
Review: Roy Morris's history of the 1876 election is a rousing work that brings to life the incredible politcs of America's Victorian Gilded Age. Despite how history has treated the politicians of this era, Morris explains well that both combatants, Ohio Gov. Rutherford B Hayes and New York Gov. Samuel Tilden, would have been worthy of the White House in any era. Morris's respect for Gilded Age politicians was the high point of the book for me. He shows us more than the non-entities history has treated them. Hayes, a real Civil War hero (as opposed to other CW Generals, like "General" Ben Harrison) who was a cagier politician than often given credit for. Tilden, a sickly and brilliant bachelor, a disciple of Martin Van Buren and maybe America's last Jacksonian, is shown as a methodical and brilliant reformer who blew up the Tweed Ring. Morris also excells at looking at the real issues of the campiagn: government reform, fighting Grantism, and most of all----Reconstruction. The story of the this miserable election bears little resembles to the 2000 election. In 2000, the basic story was a bunch of old people did not vote right. Nobody did anything. In this election, you not only had contested states, but SOUTHERN states who 16 years before had left the union. Since then, carpetbag regimes had taken overm causing near strife across the south. One must remeber that Civil War seemed more imminent in 1876 than 1860. At the heart of this fight was the growing feeling in the North that continued occupation and negro rights was just not worth it anymore. My one qualm with the book is Morris seems to be blinded by the consequences of blacks by this election. He seems to overlap his sympathy for Tilden to include the former confederate, white Democrats in the South. He minimizes the violence in an attempt to build a case against Hayes and the Republicans. I felt that Morris could have been more critical of the Bourbon southern democrats in this work. All in all, however, it is a wonderfull read. We find that America was robbed of two great men in this election. Tilden never entered the White House, and the talented Hayes was never able to execute his full potential due to the circumstances of his election. A fascinating book.
Rating:
Summary: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Review: So says an ancient proverb - if you don't learn from the past, you will repeat the blunders of the past. In his book Fraud of the Century, Roy Morris Jr. has given us a snapshot of an election in America's centennial year that would be considered the most controversial election in America's history - maybe until the 2000 election, but maybe even beyond that one. Morris does a very good job of reporting the details of the 1876 campaign, starting with the party's selection of the candidates, brief biographies of each of the major candidates for President, and, finally, the campaign itself, the election, and the post-election shennanigans. Those who are not aware of the extent of the corruption and fraudulent undertakings in a few states (Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon) during the course of the election will be rewarded when reading this book - Morris examines each of these cases in great detail and explains what bearing the states each had on the election. Although this book does not flow as well as some other political history books that I have read, it is a well written and easily understandable story of an election that, although was not stolen by Hayes was stolen for Hayes by members of the Republican party. This book is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in American political history.
Rating:
Summary: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Review: So says an ancient proverb - if you don't learn from the past, you will repeat the blunders of the past. In his book Fraud of the Century, Roy Morris Jr. has given us a snapshot of an election in America's centennial year that would be considered the most controversial election in America's history - maybe until the 2000 election, but maybe even beyond that one. Morris does a very good job of reporting the details of the 1876 campaign, starting with the party's selection of the candidates, brief biographies of each of the major candidates for President, and, finally, the campaign itself, the election, and the post-election shennanigans. Those who are not aware of the extent of the corruption and fraudulent undertakings in a few states (Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon) during the course of the election will be rewarded when reading this book - Morris examines each of these cases in great detail and explains what bearing the states each had on the election. Although this book does not flow as well as some other political history books that I have read, it is a well written and easily understandable story of an election that, although was not stolen by Hayes was stolen for Hayes by members of the Republican party. This book is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in American political history.
Rating:
Summary: Did the country miss out on a potentially great President?
Review: The strength of this book is that is not only that it discusses the post election maneuvering that resulted in the highly questionable election of Ohio governor Rutherford B. Hayes, but also chronicles a little discussed era in American history. Morris paints a picture of the trials and tribulations facing any President as the Reconstruction era came to a close. Hayes opponent, Democrat Samuel Tilden, governor of New York, is a largely forgotten figure who rose to prominence weeding out corruption at Tammany Hall. I'm not sure I had ever read anything about him. The author was clearly sympathetic to the Tilden cause and a preponderance of the evidence presented suggests that the election was indeed stolen from him. Tilden's reaction to all of this was most curious. Although those surrounding him were certainly passionate about making sure that he was declared the rightful winner, Tilden was simply not inclined to pursue the matter with any vigor. As a result, the Hayes forces carried the day after 4 agonizing months of recounts, commissions and the like. The author does make the point that the culprit was not Hayes himself, but rather a number of Republican party operatives desperate to hold on to power. Morris considers Hayes to be a decent man. All of this makes me wonder if perhaps the country missed out on a potentially great President in Tilden. It seems to me that we need to be more concerned about an individual who will do just about anything to be elected President. Just refer to any newspaper today. In Samuel Tilden, we appear to have a man who preferred to walk away rather than put the country through additional turmoil.
Rating:
Summary: Did the country miss out on a potentially great President?
Review: The strength of this book is that is not only that it discusses the post election maneuvering that resulted in the highly questionable election of Ohio governor Rutherford B. Hayes, but also chronicles a little discussed era in American history. Morris paints a picture of the trials and tribulations facing any President as the Reconstruction era came to a close. Hayes opponent, Democrat Samuel Tilden, governor of New York, is a largely forgotten figure who rose to prominence weeding out corruption at Tammany Hall. I'm not sure I had ever read anything about him. The author was clearly sympathetic to the Tilden cause and a preponderance of the evidence presented suggests that the election was indeed stolen from him. Tilden's reaction to all of this was most curious. Although those surrounding him were certainly passionate about making sure that he was declared the rightful winner, Tilden was simply not inclined to pursue the matter with any vigor. As a result, the Hayes forces carried the day after 4 agonizing months of recounts, commissions and the like. The author does make the point that the culprit was not Hayes himself, but rather a number of Republican party operatives desperate to hold on to power. Morris considers Hayes to be a decent man. All of this makes me wonder if perhaps the country missed out on a potentially great President in Tilden. It seems to me that we need to be more concerned about an individual who will do just about anything to be elected President. Just refer to any newspaper today. In Samuel Tilden, we appear to have a man who preferred to walk away rather than put the country through additional turmoil.
Rating:
Summary: Theft of an election...
Review: This book details the sorry saga of the 1876 Presidential Election. Unlike the 2000 election, where there was a simple disagreement over how to county votes, the 1876 election featured widespread violence, intimidation, and outright election fraud. This resulted in the ascent to the Presidency of Rutherford Hayes, who was essentially a good man and not party to much of the chicanery conducted on his behalf. This book tells the story in florid detail, and you come away from the story with the sense that maybe politics today is not as dirty as you might have once thought. Certainly, the politics of 1876 was far worse than what we have today. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Theft of an election...
Review: This book details the sorry saga of the 1876 Presidential Election. Unlike the 2000 election, where there was a simple disagreement over how to county votes, the 1876 election featured widespread violence, intimidation, and outright election fraud. This resulted in the ascent to the Presidency of Rutherford Hayes, who was essentially a good man and not party to much of the chicanery conducted on his behalf. This book tells the story in florid detail, and you come away from the story with the sense that maybe politics today is not as dirty as you might have once thought. Certainly, the politics of 1876 was far worse than what we have today. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A singular account
Review: This is a wonderful account of a forgotten crises, the election of 1876. This was the election that created the `Southern Block' of unrepentant deep south governors and ended reconstruction, thus handing power back to the same people who had stood strong in the face of Lincoln in 1859. An amazing story of American politics as it was in the late 1800s. The machinations, the political machines, the `smoke filled rooms' and the `gray beards' who were king makers. This is a riveting, if sometimes disorganized, story of the `stolen election' in which competing delegations from southern states created a crises that in some ways shows the weakness and towering strength of American democracy. The subsequent election of 1880, covered expertly in `Dark Horse' which serves as a good companion to this book, was also tumultuous. A wonderful read the opens up the whole theatre that was Americana in the 1870s. The personalities of Grant and others are exposed in this book as well.
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