Presidential Election of 1872

MUCH OF ULYSSES S. GRANT'S first term in office was a disaster. The popular war hero had been seen as the key to reuniting the nation after the chaos of the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination. Grant symbolized a return to order in a fractured political system and a nation still reeling from the effects of civil war. Grant also brought with him the freedmen's hope that freedom would not be a temporary condition. However, Grant's presidency would dash their hope.

Grant's first term in office was defined by ignorance and incompetence, as well as a completely deferential attitude toward Congress. Although this was understandable after the attempted impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Despite this, Grant stood by as an idle observer as the old Whig theory of legislative supremacy began to reassert itself in American politics. This abdication of constitutional power had important consequences for his presidency. Grant chose friendship over competence in filling administrative positions, which resulted in his administration suffering from numerous abuses of the patronage system, as well as stunning examples of corruption. From the Whiskey Ring and Credit Mobilier scandals, to the infamous Black Friday gold speculation scheme, the stench of corruption pervaded his term of office.

Grant fared little better in pursuing his limited policy agenda. His support of a new tariff in 1870 alienated many reformers in his party. He engaged in an ill-advised attempt to annex the Dominican Republic, and his appointments to the judiciary handed down rulings that legalized paper money, which angered the deflationists in his party. He also gave in to pressure to put the brakes on attempts at civil service reform, a decision that perpetuated his already corrupt image. Moreover, Grant's failings as a party leader could not have come at a worse time for the Republicans. The growing distance from the issues of the Civil War (anti-slavery and unionism) meant that party ties were rapidly weakening, and fissures were beginning to emerge in the Republican coalition. The election of 1872 would test if the Republican Party could remain unified in the post-Civil War era.

Despite all these failings, Grant's popularity heading into the election remained high and Republicans felt optimistic that he would be re-elected. The path to victory, however, would prove daunting. Heading into the party conventions, the Republicans divided over the rampant corruption in government, as well as the direction of Reconstruction efforts in the south.

Stalwart Republicans, such as Roscoe Conkling of New York, believed that Reconstruction was a worn-out issue. Rather than seeing the idealistic goals of Radical Reconstruction succeed, which would likely cost the party its dominance in American politics, the Stalwarts attempted to move the party away from ideological politics toward an emphasis on organization and control of the political system. While principled politics certainly had their place, the Stalwarts reasoned that one could not bring about change without first winning elections.

This is not to say that the Stalwarts abandoned all principles, as the Republican platform made clear. Though largely self-congratulatory, it also called for strict enforcement of the Reconstruction Amendments, full political and civil rights for the freedmen, civil service reform, and amnesty for southern secessionists. But how much of this was a commitment to progress and how much was political posturing remained an open question. By the end of the convention, though, these Stalwarts, who comprised the dominant wing of the Republican Party, would continue to support Grant in the election, though with Henry Wilson replacing Schuyler Colfax as vice president.

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