Lots of crap being spread through social media about this upcoming election….some on how violent it could be and some that it could be the worse election ever for the US.
Will it be the worse?
Of course, these political sparring matches leave many voters dissatisfied, as any Gore, Trump, or Sanders supporter will certainly tell you, but their pain is surely less than those felt in 1876. The bloody election lead to sweeping reforms and the secretive Compromise of 1877.
…
Grant served two terms in office before declining to run for a third. With so much bad blood brewing between the Republicans and the Democrats, the North and the South, the election was incredibly bitter. Rutherford B. Hayes (R) and Samuel J. Tilden (D) were the primary candidates, though Hayes was a compromise candidate after the frontrunner was unable to secure enough support at the Republican National Convention.
The election was fraught with allegations of electoral fraud, election violence, and disenfranchisement of Black Republicans. The Democrats relied on the White League and Red Shirts, para-military groups that violently disrupted rallies and suppressed both white and Black voters. In South Carolina, 101% of all eligible voters had cast their votes in a clear case of election fraud and an estimated 150 Black Republicans were murdered. Democrat ballots deceived illiterate voters by using the Republican symbol of Abraham Lincoln to steal votes. During the inevitable recounts, these votes were discarded.
(any of that sound familiar?)
This was not the first ugly election….think back to 1804….
I could write about this but since most people cannot concentrate to read I shall let a video do the deed.
So you see that Trump is not the only person to turn a vote into something ugly and contentious.
This election saw a Electoral College debacle that the House of Representatives had to sort out.
We are still paying for that POS today.
There is your short but sweet history lesson and since this is my special day I will bow out and see what gifts have come my way.
Be Smart!
Learn Stuff!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
The only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn anything from history. During the Boss Tweed era it was alleged that the occupants of every cemetery in New York were registered voters.
Your statement is accurate….sadly I blame the education of Americans…selective as it is. chuq
The education we get in this country certainly is part of the problem. Also we have this bad habit of re-writing history that makes us uncomfortable or embarrassed. Or even worse, deliberately re-written to support the prejudices of a minority: The Civil War is being, oh, rebranded by some, as being the war for states’ rights and had little to do with ending slavery. Richard Nixon turns from a crook into an “elder statesman”. Ronald Reagan goes from being an incompetent puppet who nearly bankrupted the country into some kind of economic genius. Any day now I expect to hear someone claim that the KKK was actually organized to support the rights of African Americans.
We use to call those people ‘revisionists’ and they are still alive and active. chuq
MY minor in college was The Presidency and I’ve always been fascinated by it…yes we have a long history of horrible elections and it will sadly continue – thanks for sharing all of this, fascinating!
My minor was political history focusing on years 1750-1815…..that time was fascinating. Glad you liked it. chuq
We have a bad election choice here next week. I don’t want to vote Labour because I cannot stand their party leader, but my desire to see the Conservatives kicked out is so strong, I probably will.
Best wishes, Pete.
I call that vote…the hater vote….hate both candidates and a hold your nose vote. chuq