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Compromise of 1877 Facts & Worksheets

The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Corrupt Bargain or the Great Betrayal, marked the end of Reconstruction in the South and a return to Home Rule.

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The Southern Democrats and supporters of Republican Rutherford Hayes came to an agreement known as the Compromise of 1877. It was made to settle the previous year’s presidential election issue. After the American Civil War, the legal status of African-Americans was challenged during the Reconstruction Period, which ended because of the Compromise of 1877.

See the fact file below for more information on Compromise of 1877, or alternatively, you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment. 

Facts & Information

Compromise of 1877

  • The outcome of the presidential elections in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina became a major issue in 1876. These three states were the only ones still ruled by Reconstruction-era Republican governments.
  • The Republican Party’s candidate, Rutherford Hayes, met with the southern Democrats. They negotiated Hayes’ election acknowledgment.
  • The Democrats agreed to accept Hayes’ victory in exchange for the withdrawal of all federal troops from the South. As a result, Democratic control of the region was centralized.
  • The Compromise of 1877, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina regained their democratic status.
  • The Compromise of 1877 was dubbed the “Great Betrayal” because the Republicans’ efforts to ensure black civil rights were neglected.

Five Key Points of the Compromise

  • All military forces from the former Confederate states must be removed, while only US troops remained in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
  • The cabinet must include at least one Southern Democrat.
  • Another transcontinental railroad must be built through the South and Texas.
  • Legislation must be enacted to aid in the industrialization and economic recovery of the South.
  • African-Americans must be allowed to conduct business with southern states without interference from the north.

Background

  • Decisions made by the Supreme Court in 1873 limited the areas ruled by the Reconstruction Era and its amendments. It granted African-Americans citizenship and protection, including the right to vote.
  • By the 1870s, support for racially egalitarian Reconstruction policies had shrunk. These were laws enacted to protect the civil rights of African-Americans in the South. Whites in the same region used force to prevent blacks from voting to restore white supremacy.
  • Ulysses S. Grant’s administration was accused of corruption. During the 1876 election, the Democrats chose Governor Samuel B. Tilden as their candidate, while the Republicans chose Hayes.
  • Hayes promised an honest service and the ability to self-government. This promise encouraged the South because it, in effect, limited Reconstruction-era policies.
  • On election day, the Democrats appeared to win due to favorable votes from Connecticut, Indiana, New York, and New Jersey. Tilden’s victory was almost certain by midnight. Republicans have not given up and have accused the opposition of bribing African-American voters.
  • Both parties received a significant number of votes in South Carolina. The supporters of one of the Democratic candidates, Wade Hampton, intimidated African-Americans.
  • Following both parties’ accusations against each other, two sets of election returns with varying results were submitted. In Oregon, the Democratic governor replaced a Republican elector with a Democrat because the previous elector was ineligible, according to him. In that state, Hayes’ victory was called into question.
  • In January 1877, Congress made an electoral commission to resolve the anomalies in the elections. It was made up of five U.S. representatives, five senators, and five Supreme Court Justices, with Democrats and Republicans each having seven representatives and one independent. However, because the independent Justice David Davis refused to serve, he was replaced by the moderate Republican Justice Joseph Bradley.
  • As a result of the agreement, Hayes received all 20 of the Commission’s electoral votes along party lines, and it made a significant contribution to his 185-184 victory.
  • During the committee’s deliberations, the Republicans who supported Hayes sneakily negotiated with the moderate Democrats from the south. They intended to persuade them to allow Hayes’ election by not interfering with the official count of votes. The Democrats and Republicans from the South finally reached an agreement in February.

Effects of the Compromise

  • On February 8, tensions rose as Bradley confirmed the story behind the Hayes votes that Democrats had suspected. They began talking about their plan to use a filibuster to help stop the certification of electoral votes. A presidential winner must be declared by March 3, or the Speaker of the House will become president.
  • Rutherford Hayes’ presidential victory was declared on March 5.
  • Some people were still skeptical of the elections. It required a compromise, which was reached in 1877.
  • Hayes could not meet all of the southern Democrats’ demands as agreed in the Compromise, but the majority were met.
  • David Key of Tennessee was designated postmaster general during Hayes’ presidential term. Nonetheless, he did not issue the promised land grant for Texas and the Pacific.
  • Hayes directed federal troops to guard the statehouses of Louisiana and South Carolina during the first two months of his presidency, resulting in Democratic control of both states.
  • The exclusion of federal soldiers from the streets marked the end of the Republican Party’s pledge to defend African Americans’ civil and political rights. Because it ended Reconstruction, it became a turning point in major political aspects of American history.
  • Hayes agreed to stop federal involvement in racial problems and interruption in Southern governance as part of the Compromise.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment was seriously restricted in civil rights cases where the Supreme Court constructed the state action barrier. The Court vowed not to use force to protect black rights as written by a member of the 1877 electoral commission, Joseph P. Bradley.
  • In the late 1870s, southern legislatures passed a series of laws mandating the separation of whites and non-whites in various public utilities such as transportation, schools, parks, restaurants, theaters, and so on. It was dubbed the “Jim Crow laws,” and segregationist statutes governed southern life for the next century.
  • After 1877, those who supported white supremacy voted for Democrats, giving birth to the region known as the “Solid South.” Even when Democrats occupied most of the seats at the end of the nineteenth century, black Republicans continued to seek a local position for them. However, when Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, most white voters switched to the Republican Party.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 sought to bridge the gaps created by discrimination based on race, appearance, faith, gender, or origin. It was postulated by President John F. Kennedy and enacted by his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, becoming one of the most notable civil rights movements.

Compromise of 1877 Worksheets

This bundle includes 11 ready-to-use Compromise of 1877 worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Corrupt Bargain or the Great Betrayal which marked the end of Reconstruction in the South and a return to Home Rule.

This download includes the following worksheets:

  • Compromise of 1877
  • Cause & Effect
  • Deal
  • U.S. States
  • Discrimination
  • Contributors
  • Democrats VS Republicans
  • Equality
  • Republicans
  • Poet’s Corner
  • Fill in the Blanks

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Compromise of 1877 mean for African Americans?

After the American Civil War, the legal status of African Americans was challenged during the Reconstruction period, which ended because of the Compromise of 1877.

What did the Compromise of 1877 do?

The outcome of the presidential elections in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina became a major issue in 1876. These three states were the only ones still ruled by Reconstruction-era Republican governments. The Republican Party’s candidate, Rutherford Hayes, met with the southern Democrats. They negotiated Hayes’ election acknowledgment. This negotiation was known as the Compromise of 1877.

What were the main elements of the Compromise of 1877?

During the committee’s deliberations, the Republicans who supported Hayes sneakily negotiated with the moderate Democrats from the south. They intended to persuade them to allow Hayes’ election by not interfering with the official count of votes. In exchange, the Democrats demanded that all military forces from the former Confederate states must be removed, while only US troops remained in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Also, legislation must be enacted to aid in the industrialization and economic recovery of the South.

Why was the Compromise of 1877 called The Great Betrayal?

The Compromise of 1877 was dubbed the “Great Betrayal” because the Republicans’ efforts to ensure black civil rights were neglected.

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