Congress had recently taken a break from reconstruction in order to assess the the economic recession we were facing. The Panic of 1873 was the worst recession our country had ever faced. People were losing their land and banks were going bankrupt. The economy was in ruins and we were unable to continue our work on Reconstruction alongside trying to recover the economy. Many average Northern Citizens were also pleading that we focus on the economy rather than the civil right of African Americans, and I had to agree. As much as Reconstruction was important, I could not abandon the Northern citizens pleads for help. I had decided that Reconstruction could wait. From the Panic of 1873, the speed Congress was passing legislations had slowed down considerably and Reconstruction had become a second thought. …show more content…
The battle for presidency was incredibly intense and relationships between the parties were tense. Our presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes had campaigned earnestly with all his strength to appeal to the general public. Alongside him was I, campaigning for him also. I am confident that he will not be a disappointment as Grant was, as Hayes was experienced. I instilled my confidence into others as well that he would be a great president that would lead our great nation into a prosperous time. On the Democratic side, their candidate was Samuel J. Tilden, whom I do not know much of. He seems to be a skilled politician and was indeed a competent candidate for Rutherford B. Hayes. Once the citizens were able to vote and the ballots were counted, our candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes won with one more electoral vote than Samuel J. Tilden. Hayes won 185 electoral votes, and Tilden received 184. My party held celebrations to congratulate Rutherford B. Hayes on his presidency, as we were sure he had won without