320 pages / 6.00 x 9.00 inches / 21 halftones, 2 maps
History / United States - Civil War Period | History / United States - Southern History | Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections
Prior to the 2020 presidential election, historians considered the disputed 1876 contest—which pitted Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden—the most controversial in American history. Examining the work and conclusions of the Potter Committee, the congressional body tasked with investigating the vote, Adam Fairclough’s Bulldozed and Betrayed: Louisiana and the Stolen Elections of 1876 sheds new light on the events surrounding the electoral crisis, especially those that occurred in Louisiana, a state singled out for voter intimidation and rampant fraud.
The Potter Committee’s inquiry led to embarrassment for Democrats, uncovering an array of bribes, forgeries, and even coded telegrams showing that the Tilden campaign had attempted to buy the presidency. Testimony also exposed the treachery of Hayes, who, once installed in the White House, permitted insurrectionary Democrats to overthrow the Republican government in Louisiana that had risen to power during the early days of Reconstruction.
Adam Fairclough is professor emeritus of American history at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is the author of numerous books, including Race and Democracy: The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972.
“As we’ve recently learned, disputed elections can be wrenching. It’s indisputably true of the 1876 presidential contes, whose aftermath also touched off passionate accusations of ballot tampering. Except then, unlike today, at least in the three southern states where fraud and terror had been rampant, the charges had merit. In this unsparing inquest, Adam Fairclough splays open a sordid story of betrayal, bribery, jailhouse morals, forged letters and even encrypted telegrams. It’s not an edifying story, but we are deeply in debt to this fine historian for having told it.”—Lawrence N. Powell, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans
“Just when we think an election could not get any more controversial, Adam Fairclough reminds us that America has seen far worse. Shrouded in incredible levels of violence, political manipulation, and convoluted back room deals, the election of 1876, Louisiana version, stands as an unassailable example of the vulnerabilities inherent in a fragile democracy. Superbly written and meticulously researched, Bulldozed and Betrayed offers an exciting examination of the tragic consequences of the election that led to the end of Reconstruction in the South.”—Samuel C. Hyde Jr., author of Pistols and Politics: Feuds, Factions, and the Struggle for Order in Louisiana’s Florida Parishes, 1810–1935
“Given the chaotic recent election, the Hayes-Tilden controversy has particular interest now. Both Black disfranchisement and the process of certifying votes are much on our minds. Fairclough’s careful study of the Congressional investigation into the Louisiana election illuminates a dangerous moment in American politics. The book should put to rest notions of a stolen election: the Democrat-led investigating committee managed to publicize bribery by their leaders and implicate their own presidential candidate. Fairclough provides an even-handed verdict on this important and colorful episode.”—Michael W. Fitzgerald, author of Reconstruction in Alabama: From Civil War to Redemption in the Cotton South
Found an Error? Tell us about it.
