Disputed government of South Carolina of 1876–77

Last updated
Dispute: December 6, 1876 – April 11, 1877
ClaimClaim
Daniel Henry Chamberlain (cropped).jpg Wade Hampton (cropped).jpg
Daniel H. Chamberlain Wade Hampton III
Republican Democratic
91,127 votes92,261 votes
Claim: Democrats' voter fraudClaim: Won majority of votes
Outcome: ResignedOutcome: Declared sole governor
1876SCGovResults.png

From December 1876 to April 1877, the Republican and Democratic parties in South Carolina each claimed to be the legitimate government. Both parties declared that the other had lost the election and that they controlled the governorship, the state legislature, and most state offices. Each government debated and passed laws, raised militias, collected taxes, and conducted other business as if the other did not exist. After four months of contested government, Daniel Henry Chamberlain, who claimed the governorship as a Republican, conceded to Democrat Wade Hampton III on April 11, 1877. This came after President Rutherford Hayes withdrew federal troops from the South.

Contents

Background

Before the Civil War and until the Great Migration in the early twentieth century, African Americans outnumbered whites in South Carolina. [1] According to the official U.S. Census of 1870, there were 705,606 people living in South Carolina, [2] 465,814 (58.9%) of whom were African Americans. [3] Furthermore, the majority of African Americans who voted during the Reconstruction era voted for the Republican Party. [4] In the mid-1870s, the Democratic Party in South Carolina attempted to return the state to its antebellum status by electing former Confederates to political office and preventing African Americans from voting through the Black Codes, literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation. The emergence of these white supremacist governments was referred to by white Southerners as the "Redeemer governments" or "saviors of the South." [5] In the late 19th century, Democrats in South Carolina used aggressive tactics to gain political power, including breaking up Republican meetings and intimidating Republican voters. This included the involvement of groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Red Shirts, particularly in 1875 and 1876, resulting in a reign of terror against African Americans and Republicans. In response, President Ulysses S. Grant sent federal troops into the state to protect these groups. [6]

In 1876, the Democratic Party nominated Wade Hampton III, a former Confederate lieutenant general, to run for governor. [7] Hampton was born into the wealthy and respected Hampton family of Charleston, and his family made millions from the use of slave labor on cotton plantations. South Carolina's incumbent Republican governor, Daniel Henry Chamberlain, a Massachusetts-born lawyer, was running for re-election against Hampton. Hampton and white Democrats sought to remove the "Radical Republicans" from office and establish an unopposed Democratic ticket. [5] On election day, the vote count indicated that Wade Hampton III had won the election. However, allegations of voter fraud immediately arose, and some Democrats later admitted to allowing Georgians to vote, intentionally not counting or prohibiting African American voters from voting, and allowing some individuals to vote multiple times. [8]

Results of the election of 1876

Immediately after the results were announced, both the Republican and Democratic parties accused each other of fraud. Hampton received 92,261 votes to Chamberlain's 91,127. However, the State Board of Canvassers, [a] which was composed of five Republicans, declared that the elections in Edgefield County and Laurens County were so tainted by fraud that their results would be excluded from the final tally. This changed the Republican tally from a 1,134-vote loss to a 3,145-vote victory. [9] [10] Both parties claimed the governorship, the General Assembly, and most state offices.

1876 Election Results [9]
ChamberlainHampton
Actual votes counted91,12792,261
Board of Canvassers count86,21683,078

Both the Republican and Democratic parties refused to acknowledge that the other party had won the election. The Democrats claimed that they had won the majority of votes and were therefore the legitimate government. The Republicans, on the other hand, claimed that the Democrats had committed voter fraud through intimidation of African Americans, black codes, ballot stuffing, and by having more votes cast than registered voters. The Republican Party issued a statement saying "that if the canvass [b] in the State had been free from violence and fraud the Republican majority would have been sufficient [to elect] all the candidates [from the Republican Party.]" [9] [10]

Dual government

SC Statehouse SCStatehouse southside.jpg
SC Statehouse

Both Chamberlain and Hampton refused to accept the other's claim to the governorship. As the incumbent governor, Chamberlain secretly ordered troops to occupy the South Carolina Statehouse on November 27 to prevent the Democrats from taking control. The next morning, the Democrats established their government in the Choral Union Hall instead of entering the Statehouse to avoid a confrontation. [11] The next day, the Democrats, led by former Independent Governor James L. Orr, marched on the Statehouse. This time, when Republican lawmakers noticed the Democrats entering, they rushed into the House chamber. William Wallace, who had been elected Speaker of the House by the Democratic legislature, and E.W.M. Mackey, who had been elected Speaker by the Republican legislature, fought for possession of the Speaker's chair. For four days, members of both the Republican and Democratic parties occupied the chamber and conducted business, including debating bills, passing laws, and recognizing speakers. [11] On December 4, Chamberlain threatened to use military force to remove the Democratic legislators, causing them to leave the chamber to avoid possible violence.

Statue of Wade Hampton (lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse) Statue of Wade Hampton (lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse).jpg
Statue of Wade Hampton (lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse)

A provision in the South Carolina Constitution of 1868 required the General Assembly to elect the governor in the event of a disputed election. On December 6, the Republican General Assembly, claiming a majority because the votes of Edgefield and Laurens counties had been excluded, elected Chamberlain to a second term. He began his new term the following day, declaring in his inaugural address, "I regard the present hour in South Carolina as a crisis at which no patriotic citizen should shrink from any post to which public duty may call him. If we fail now our Government the Government of South Carolina will no longer rest up on the consent of the governed." [10] [12]

In December 1876, some Democrats in the General Assembly declared themselves a quorum, even though some of their offices had been declared vacant due to allegations of election fraud. They claimed to be the legitimate government and elected Hampton governor. Their inauguration was held at Carolina Hall, now the Longstreet Theatre, instead of the Statehouse. [13] From December 1876 to April 1877, the Republican and Democratic factions conducted business as if the other did not exist. [8] [14] [10] Historian Ronald F. King argues that neither faction had legitimacy, although they continued to debate and pass legislation. [9] On December 6, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the Democratic legislature was the legitimate government. Federal troops, however, remained loyal to Chamberlain and the Republican government and continued to bar Democrats from the statehouse. [11]

Governor Chamberlain Report of the meetings for organization and of the general meeting, together with the president's address, and a list of members (1906) (14592290138).jpg
Governor Chamberlain

Hampton asked South Carolinians to refuse to pay taxes to the Chamberlain government. To support the Hampton government, each taxpayer was asked to pay only 10% of the previous year's tax bill. [15] Both white and black South Carolinians paid taxes to the Hampton government and refused to pay taxes to the Chamberlain government, thereby denying the Chamberlain government its last legitimacy and authority apart from the U.S. Army. [16]

Tensions increased when it was announced that Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, had won the 1876 presidential election in South Carolina, while Hampton, a Democrat, had won the gubernatorial race. Hampton proceeded to appoint judges, commission militia units, and issue executive orders. On December 20, Governor Chamberlain pardoned Peter Smith from the state penitentiary. However, the state supreme court ruled that the pardon was invalid because Chamberlain was not the legitimate governor. On February 9, 1877, Governor Hampton pardoned Tilda Norris. However, the warden of the state penitentiary refused to release her because he did not recognize Hampton as governor. The state supreme court sided with Hampton and forced the release of Tilda Norris. [17]

Federal involvement

In December 1876, Senator John Brown Gordon of Georgia introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate declaring that Wade Hampton III was the rightful governor of South Carolina. However, in January 1877, Senator John J. Patterson, a Republican from South Carolina, responded to Senator Gordon's resolution by filing papers declaring that Governor Chamberlain was the legally elected governor.[ citation needed ]

Meeting with President Hayes

President Rutherford Hayes 1870 - 1880 President Rutherford Hayes 1870 - 1880.jpg
President Rutherford Hayes 1870 - 1880

On March 31, 1877, Chamberlain and Hampton traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with the newly elected Republican president, Rutherford Hayes. Both men made their cases to be governor. Hayes had narrowly won his election by one electoral vote and had been accused of voter fraud. Once elected, Hayes adopted a "hands-off" policy toward the South as part of the Compromise of 1877. Hayes did not believe that the use of federal troops to decide a local election was justified. [18] Hayes informed the two governors of his plan to withdraw federal troops from the South, which he did on April 3. [6] [10] The Republican administration under Chamberlain struggled to maintain power due to lack of support and was at a disadvantage to the Democratic administration under Hampton. The imposition of the Black Codes and other voter restrictions on African Americans led to a rapid loss of electoral support for the Republicans.

Chamberlain's concession

On April 10, federal troops withdrew from the Statehouse. Governor Chamberlain, realizing that he could not continue in his role without the support of federal troops, resigned on April 11. [8] After conceding the governorship to Hampton, Chamberlain stated, "If a majority of people in a State are unable by physical force to maintain their rights, they must be left to political servitude." [9] After Chamberlain's concession, Hampton was declared the sole governor of South Carolina. Chamberlain fled the state and resumed his law practice. Hampton was re-elected in 1878. However, he resigned in February 1879 to succeed Republican John J. Patterson as United States Senator from South Carolina. South Carolina would not elect another Republican governor until 1974, nearly 100 years later. The Democratic Party controlled the General Assembly until the 1990s. Until the 1970s, the Democratic Party faced little opposition in most gubernatorial elections and often ran unopposed.

See also

Notes

    1. ↑ A board established to certify election results.
    2. ↑ Polling and voting locations.

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1876 United States presidential election</span>

    Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 1876. Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio very narrowly defeated Democrat Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York. Following President Ulysses S. Grant's decision to retire after his second term, U.S. Representative James G. Blaine emerged as frontrunner for the Republican nomination; however, Blaine was unable to win a majority at the 1876 Republican National Convention, which settled on Hayes as a compromise candidate. The 1876 Democratic National Convention nominated Tilden on the second ballot.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Hampton III</span> American soldier and politician

    Wade Hampton III was the scion of one of the richest families in the ante-bellum South, owning thousands of acres of cotton land in South Carolina and Mississippi, as well as thousands of enslaved workers. He became a senior general in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. He also had a career as a leading Democratic politician in state and national affairs.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Compromise of 1877</span> Unwritten political deal in the United States

    The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Wormley Agreement, the Bargain of 1877, or the Corrupt Bargain, was an unwritten political deal in the United States to settle the intense dispute over the results of the 1876 presidential election, ending the filibuster of the certified results and the threat of political violence in exchange for an end to federal Reconstruction.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Henry Chamberlain</span> American politician

    Daniel Henry Chamberlain was an American planter, lawyer, author and the 76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1876 or 1877. The federal government withdrew troops from the state and ended Reconstruction that year. Chamberlain was the last Republican governor of South Carolina until James B. Edwards was elected in 1974.

    The Redeemers were a political coalition in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction Era that followed the American Civil War. Redeemers were the Southern wing of the Democratic Party. They sought to regain their political power and enforce white supremacy. Their policy of Redemption was intended to oust the Radical Republicans, a coalition of freedmen, "carpetbaggers", and "scalawags". They were typically led by White yeomen and dominated Southern politics in most areas from the 1870s to 1910.

    The Mississippi Plan of 1874–1875 was developed by white Southern Democrats as part of the white insurgency during the Reconstruction era in the Southern United States. It was devised by the Democratic Party in that state to overthrow the Republican Party in Mississippi by means of organized threats of violence and voter suppression against African American citizens and white Republican supporters. Democrats sought to regain political control of the state legislature and governor's office 'peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must.' Their justifications were articulated on a basis of discontent with governor Adelbert Ames' Republican administration, including spurious charges of corruption and high taxes. However, the violence that followed was centred on the desire to return white supremacy to the state. The success of the campaign led to similar plans being adopted by white Democrats in South Carolina and other majority-black states across the South.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral Commission (United States)</span> 1877 US commission

    The Electoral Commission, sometimes referred to as the Hayes-Tilden or Tilden-Hayes Electoral Commission, was a temporary body created by the United States Congress on January 29, 1877, to resolve the disputed United States presidential election of 1876. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes were the main contenders in the election. Tilden won 184 undisputed electoral votes, one vote shy of the 185 needed to win, to Hayes' 165, with 20 electoral votes from four states unresolved. Both Tilden and Hayes electors submitted votes from these states, and each claimed victory.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin J. Moses Jr.</span> American lawyer, editor, and politician (1838–1906)

    Franklin Israel Moses Jr. was a South Carolina lawyer and editor who became active as a Republican politician in the state during the Reconstruction Era. He was elected to the legislature in 1868 and served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was governor in 1872, serving into 1874. Enemies labelled him the 'Robber Governor'.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Republican Party</span> South Carolina affiliate of the Republican Party

    The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant party. Incumbent governor Henry McMaster, as well as senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham, are members of the Republican party. Graham has served since January 3, 2003, having been elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020; Tim Scott was appointed in 2013 by then-governor Nikki Haley, who is also a Republican.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

    The 1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1876, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. The election campaign was a referendum on the Radical Republican-led state government and their Reconstruction policies. Opponents disputed the challenger Wade Hampton III's victory, gained by a margin of little more than 1100 votes statewide. But he took office in April 1877, after President Hayes withdrew federal troops as a result of a national Democratic compromise, and the incumbent Daniel Henry Chamberlain left the state.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1878 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

    The 1878 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1878 to select the governor of South Carolina. Wade Hampton III was renominated by the Democrats and ran against no organized opposition in the general election to win reelection for a second two-year term.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Shirts (United States)</span> Southern US paramilitary organization (post-Civil War)

    The Red Shirts or Redshirts of the Southern United States were white supremacist paramilitary terrorist groups that were active in the late 19th century in the last years of, and after the end of, the Reconstruction era of the United States. Red Shirt groups originated in Mississippi in 1875, when anti-Reconstruction private terror units adopted red shirts to make themselves more visible and threatening to Southern Republicans, both whites and freedmen. Similar groups in the Carolinas also adopted red shirts.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Witherspoon Gary</span> American politician (1831–1881)

    Martin Witherspoon Gary was a Confederate attorney, soldier, and politician from South Carolina. He attained the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He played a major leadership role in the 1876 Democratic political campaign to elect Wade Hampton III as governor, planning a detailed campaign to disrupt the Republican Party and black voters by violence and intimidation.

    The South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876 were a series of race riots and civil unrest related to the Democratic Party's political campaign to take back control from Republicans of the state legislature and governor's office through their paramilitary Red Shirts division. Part of their plan was to disrupt Republican political activity and suppress black voting, particularly in counties where populations of whites and blacks were close to equal. Former Confederate general Martin W. Gary's "Plan of the Campaign of 1876" gives the details of planned actions to accomplish this.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1882 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

    The 1882 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1882 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Hugh Smith Thompson was nominated by the Democrats and ran against J. Hendrix McLane, a Greenback-Labor candidate. Thompson easily won the general election and became the 81st governor of South Carolina.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1890 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

    The 1890 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday November 4, to elect the governor of South Carolina. Ben Tillman was nominated by the Democrats and easily won the general election against A.C. Haskell to become the 84th governor of South Carolina.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry C. Warmoth</span> American politician

    Henry Clay Warmoth was an American attorney and veteran Civil War officer in the Union Army who was elected governor and state representative of Louisiana. A Republican, he was 26 years old when elected as 23rd Governor of Louisiana, one of the youngest governors elected in United States history. He served during the early Reconstruction Era, from 1868 to 1872.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Howell Gleaves</span> American politician (1819–1907)

    Richard Howell Gleaves was a lawyer, merchant, and politician who served as the 55th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from December 7, 1872 to December 14, 1876. He served under Governors Franklin J. Moses, Jr. and Daniel Henry Chamberlain. A Haitian-American of mixed ancestry, Gleaves was notable as one of the highest elected black Americans during the Reconstruction Era.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1876 United States elections</span>

    The 1876 United States elections were held on November 7. In one of the most disputed presidential elections in American history, Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio ended up winning despite Democratic Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York earning a majority of the popular vote. The Republicans maintained their Senate majority and cut into the Democratic majority in the House.

    References

    1. ↑ "Statistics on Slavery". Weber State University. n.d. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
    2. ↑ "Statistics for South Carolina" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor. 1913. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
    3. ↑ Rogers Jr., George C. and C. James Taylor (1994). A South Carolina Chronology 1497–1992. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN   0-87249-971-5.
    4. ↑ Richardson, Heather (16 March 2018). "South Carolina's Remarkable Democratic Experiment of 1868". We're History. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
    5. 1 2 Rubin III, Hyman S. (2007). "Election of 1876". University of South Carolina Publications. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
    6. 1 2 "The Result in South Carolina: A Southerner describes mounting racial tensions in the aftermath of Reconstruction". The South Carolinian. January 1878. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
    7. ↑ Hamer, Fritz (17 May 2016). "Wade Hampton: Conflicted Leader of the Conservative Democracy". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
    8. 1 2 3 Rubin III, Hyman S. (17 May 2016). "Election of 1876". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
    9. 1 2 3 4 5 King, Ronald (2001). "Counting the Votes: South Carolina's Stolen Election of 1876". The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 32 (2). Cambridge: MIT Press: 169–191. doi:10.1162/002219501750442369. JSTOR   3656976. S2CID   145297405.
    10. 1 2 3 4 5 "South Carolina Gubernatorial Election of 1876". The University of Richmond. n.d. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
    11. 1 2 3 John Morrill, Bryan (1998). Creating the South Carolina State House. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN   1570032912.
    12. ↑ Journal of the Senate of the State of South Carolina. Columbia: South Carolina Statehouse. 1876. pp. 42–45.
    13. ↑ "The Most Corrupt Election in SC History". SCIWAY. n.d. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
    14. ↑ Schouler, James. History of the Reconstruction Period, 1865-1877. Cambridge: Kessinger Publishing. p. 354. ISBN   978-0548640395.
    15. ↑ Walter Brian Cisco, "Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior, Conservative Statesman," Potomac Books, Inc., Washington, D.C., 2004, p. 259
    16. ↑ Walter Edgar, South Carolina: A History p 405
    17. ↑ Rod, Andrew (19 May 2008). Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 408–410. ISBN   978-0807831939.
    18. ↑ Tosh, Ted Rockwell (28 December 2015). The Life and Times of Benjamin Helm Bristow. Page Publishing Inc. ISBN   978-1682135501.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.