Election+of+1880

[[image:grovesapush/imagesgarfield.jpg align="left" caption="James A Garfield (R)"]][[image:grovesapush/imageshancock.jpg width="162" height="243" align="left" caption="Winfield Scott Hancock (D)"]]
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=Date= November 2, 1880

=Incumbent= Rutherford B. Hayes

=Key Issues/Events in Past 4 Years= //Currency Issue:// There was a controversy in the United States regarding currency in the late 1870’s. The treasury began printing “greenbacks” (paper money) that upset many citizens because they preferred gold and silver currency. They were under the belief that paper currency wasn’t trustworthy because it’s value came from the government’s backing, and that it didn't have a genuine value like gold does. The supporters of the greenbacks were usually farmers because many were in debt and wanted to inflate the economy with paper currency to pay off their debts. Farmers also supported “free silver” (the unlimited coinage of silver), which would inflate the economy. In the previous term, the former president, Hayes, created the Bland-Allison Act; it capped a limit of how much silver would be minted into coins a year. And greenbacks could be redeemed in gold.

//Reconstruction:// The 1880 election was the first election following end reconstruction. It seemed as though the two candidates were apprehensive when it came to discussing the south.

//Civil Service Reform Act:// The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was a law that required government jobs to be awarded on the basis of merit. In other words, the president couldn’t boot everyone out of congress and throw in his best buds that weren’t actual politicians. Federal government positions had to be bestowed to those who had earned it, so to speak.

=Candidates= Chester A. Arthur (NY)
 * James Garfield** (OH) Republican

William H. English (IN)
 * Winfield S. Hancock** (PA) Democratic

=Conventions=
 * Democrat**: There was not much controversy at the Democrat convention in Cincinnati. Hancock was elected as the nominee and generally accepted by all the factions within the Democratic party. They decided not to nominate the previous Democratic nominee Samuel Tilden, to avoid an unpleasant memory of the 1876 election.

**Republican:** At the Republican convention, Garfield gave a speech supporting John Sherman. His speech was greatly received by the convention and some delegates actually voted for Garfield. Hayes decided that he didn't want to run for reelection. Many opposed the interruption of the two-term presidency started by Washington. The former president and Civil War General Grant decided to seek the presidential bid again. Eventually, the Republicans nominated James Garfield as their choice for the presidency. This convention was important because it was the first convention to cast votes for an African-American.

=Major Issues of Campaign=
 * Civil Service Reform:** Both parties were in favor of civil service reform. They both thought that only the people who have the credentials to hold a government position should do so, not friends or boosters of the president. This was important because it helped stabilize the government and allowed it to be more effective.


 * Currency**: Since there was no central bank to provide the country with a stable currency, there were hundreds of different banks that issued different forms of currency. With no uniform currency, it became a challenge to trade nationally and even locally.


 * Immigration Restriction:** Even after the Civil War, there was still a great deal of racism in the country. Not only was there racism against blacks, but there was racism against immigrants. In 1875, the nation passed its first immigration law, the //Page Act of 1875.// This subjected new immigrants to provisions meant to keep out people who were "undesirable". While many Americans didn't like the new immigrants coming in, nothing was going to stop the millions of Europeans and Asians from pouring in. Many anti-immigration acts would be passed in the early-mid 1900's that would limit the immigration into the United States.


 * Pensions for Civil War Veterans**: Everyone agreed that anyone who fought in the worst war on American soil should get some severance. Initially, only Union soldiers received pensions. But in the 1930's, Confederate soldiers began to receive their pensions. No one really disagreed with soldiers getting their pensions.


 * Tariffs:** Tariffs were the only thing that the two candidates disagreed on. The Republicans wanted to increase tariffs on foreign products to boost the economy while the Democrats wanted to use tariffs as way to gain some revenue. High tariffs ensured that production in the US would boom. Unlike in the previous arrangement, the US actually began to flood English markets with cheap goods. But eventually, high tariffs would cause the fall of the economy in 1929.

=Results=
 * || **James A. Garfield** || Winfield Scott Hancock ||
 * Electoral Vote || **214** || 155 ||
 * States Won || **19** || **19** ||
 * Popular Vote || **4,446,158*** || 4,444,260* ||
 * Percentage || **48.3%** || 48.2% ||


 * Actual numbers votes of vary by source; No precise number.

=Assessment= The Presidential Election of 1880 was the closest election of all time. Even though Garfield destroyed Hancock in the Electoral Vote, he won by the slimmest of margins. Only a little more than 2000 votes separated the two candidates. What was surprising was that out of the 2,306 counties, Hancock won 1,230 of them while Garfield carried only 1,059. What was an important reason why Garfield won was because the other small political parties that had candidates running in the race stole votes from Hancock. If one of the parties hadn't existed, they would have probably voted for Hancock giving him the election

Garfield's election to the presidency was important because he was the first president after Reconstruction. He greatly supported Civil Service Reform, which is the reform of government workers who usually got fired after a new president got elected. Unfortunately, he was assassinated before he could implement any ideas he had. Civil Service Reform was later passed by Garfield's Vice President Chester Arthur. Garfield's death inspired Congress to pass the bill.

=Resources=
 * Richardson, David B. "ElectoralMaps.org - Timeline of U.S. Presidential Elections - Popular and Electoral Vote Totals - Courtesy of Wikipedia.org." //ElectoralMaps.org - Timeline of U.S. Presidential Elections - Popular and Electoral Vote Totals - Courtesy of Wikipedia.org//. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * "Presidential Election of 1880 - Map by Counties." //Presidential Election of 1880 - Map by Counties//. Geoelections, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * "Election of 1880." //Election of 1880//. Online Highways LLC, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * "HarpWeek | Elections | 1880 Overview." //HarpWeek | Elections | 1880 Overview//. Harper's Weekly, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * "Election of 1880." //Election of 1880//. MultiEducator's, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * Sheppard, Mike. "How Close Were U.S. Presidential Elections?" //How Close Were U.S. Presidential Elections?// MIT, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * "Restrictions against East European Immigration, 1880-1920 - Polish Culture." //Restrictions against East European Immigration, 1880-1920 - Polish Culture//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .
 * Fox, Lauren. "U.S. Government Still Pays Two Civil War Pensions." //US News//. U.S.News & World Report, 09 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .