MAH/Raffel
Election Night Coverage of The Presidential Election of 1876
Agenda:
4. Writing Cycle:
1. Review HW
A. Prewrite
2. Dramatic Reading
B. Draft
3. Discussion Questions
C. Edit
D. Revise
Characters: Charles Gibson, Maureen Dowd, Jake Tapper, Senate Majority Leader, and
President-Elect Rutherford B. Hayes
Setting: ABC News studios, New York, NY, and the Capitol Building, Washington DC, March
1, 1877
Charles Gibson: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We have been informed here in the
studio that there will soon be a major announcement from the Congressional Election
Commission on the final results of the Presidential election of 1876. Before the
announcement, we have asked New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and ABC News
political reporter Jake Tapper to explain where we are at this point. Maureen?
Maureen Dowd: Thanks Charles. The election of 1876 was one of the most hard-fought
political campaigns the nation has ever seen. As the ABC News political map shows,
[see page 3] in terms of the popular vote, the Democrat, Samuel J. Tilden, won the
election by about 250,000 votes. Tilden got about 4.3 million votes, compared with
just over 4 million for the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes.
Charles Gibson: So does that mean that Mr. Tilden, the former governor of New York, will
be the next President of the United States?
Jake Tapper: Not necessarily, Charles. As this election has made clear, the voters do not
directly pick the President. The Constitution requires that the President be elected
through the Electoral College. So instead of having one nationwide presidential
election, we have 40 separate state elections on the same day. The candidate who
wins the most states wins the election. But not all states count equally—states with
the larger populations have more electoral votes.
Charles Gibson: I see. And as of this moment, there are four states where the vote count
was just too close to call—Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida. A
Congressional Election Commission was assigned to oversee the vote count in those
states, which is a very important job, because the candidate that wins those states
will win the election. Right Maureen?
Maureen Dowd: Right Charles. One other point. In three of those states—Louisiana,
Florida and South Carolina—the major political issue during the campaign was
Reconstruction, and whether Federal control of these state governments should end.
It will be interesting to see if the Commission will address this issue. Sources tell
ABC News that the Democrats on the Commission might accept Hayes as President in
exchange for the removal of Federal troops from the South, which would end
Reconstruction.
Charles Gibson: I’m hearing from our control panel that the announcement is ready. We
will now send our viewers down to Washington DC for the announcement.
Senate Majority Leader: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Congressional Election Commission
has an announcement to make. In the states of Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and
Florida, we find that Rutherford B. Hayes won the most votes. Therefore, we proudly
announce that Mr. Hayes will be the next President of the United States. He will be
sworn into office tomorrow.
Charles Gibson: This is incredible! For those of you joining us late, the Congressional
Election Commission has just declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the
Presidential election of 1876, even though he received fewer votes than the
Democrat, Samuel Tilden. Jake, do you think that the makeup of the Commission—
which had 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats—played any role in the announcement?
Jake Tapper: No doubt it did, Charles. But I’m getting word from our Producer that the
President elect will make a short-statement to the nation. Let’s go back to
Washington and hear what he has to say.
President-Elect Hayes: My fellow Americans the election is over and it’s time for us to
come together as a nation. As I will explain tomorrow in my inaugural address, my
first act upon taking office will be to remove all federal troops from Louisiana, South
Carolina and Florida. In other words, we as a nation will be putting Reconstruction
behind us. So good night to all, and God Bless America.
Instructions: Please answer these questions below. Re-read the play if you need specific
information to answer the questions.
1. Which candidate received the most popular votes in the 1876 Presidential election?
2. In which states were the results disputed?
3. Explain how the Electoral College works (HINT: Re-read the first Jake Tapper
speaking part).
4. Provide two reasons why the Commission allowed Hayes to become President. (Re-read
the last three paragraphs of the play spoken by Gibson, Tapper and the President)
5. Do you see any similarities between the election of 1876 and the election of 2000?
Explain.
Part A: Prewrite Instructions: One of the characters in the play was the New York
Times reporter. Imagine that you are writing about the trial for a newspaper. As you
know, a news article has the 5Ws and H in the first paragraph. Using the graphic
organizer below, with your partner, identify the 5Ws from the play. (Note: You will write
the final version of your paragraph on our unit test.)
Who (are the most important people/groups involved in the action: not the reporters):
What (is the dispute):
Where: (is the action taking place-besides Washington DC):
When: (is the event taking place):
Why (was the election of 1876 historically important):
How: (did Rutherford B. Hayes become President):
ABC NEWS POLITICAL MAP
Part B: Draft Instructions. Reporters have to finish their articles on time; otherwise
their writing won’t be in the newspaper. Write a paragraph (in the space below) that
includes the 5Ws and H that you’ve outlined above.
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Part C: Editing Instructions. Before an article appears in the newspaper, a senior editor
reads the essay and corrects any mistakes the reporter has made. Trade your paragraph
(above) with your partner and edit the essay. As part of the process, complete the
following sentences below:
Editor’s Name:___________________________________
One thing I liked about this paragraph….
One thing I would do next time…