Rutherford B. Hayes

By (author): "Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Hans L. Trefousse"
Publish Date: November 1st 2002
Rutherford B. Hayes
ISBN0805069089
ISBN139780805069082
AsinRutherford B. Hayes
CharactersRutherford B. Hayes
Original titleRutherford B. Hayes
SeriesThe American Presidents #19
A leader of the Reconstruction era, whose contested election eerily parallels the election debacle of 2000The disputed election of 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden, in which Congress set up a special electoral commission, handing the disputed electoral votes to Hayes, brings recent events into sharp focus.Historian Hans L. Trefousse explores Hayes's new relevance and reconsiders what many have seen as the pitfalls of his presidency. While Hayes did officially terminate the Reconstruction, Trefousse points out that this process was already well under way by the start of his term and there was little he could do to stop it. A great intellectual and one of our best-educated presidents, Hayes did much more in the way of healing the nation and elevating the presidency.