The (Almost) January 6th of the 19th Century: How the 1877 Electoral Commission Act Averted a Protest at the U.S. Capitol

• In Event: Politics and History

Abstract

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, commentators drew connections to the election of 1876. Whether favorably or unfavorably comparing 2020 and 1876, not one commentator noted the mass protests that Democrats had staged in December 1876 and January 1877, nor the threatened protest that was to be held at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on February 14th, 1877, the date assigned by law for a joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes. Not unlike the demonstrations on January 6th, 2021, the intention was to pressure the members of Congress to “do the right thing,” viz., support the position of the protestors.

This paper explores the connections between the 2020 and 1876 elections, with emphasis on the protests (threatened in 1877 and real in 2021) at the Capitol, as well as the Electoral Commission Act of 1877. Numerous similarities are developed—such as 1877 Democrats and 2021 Republicans appealing to the Senate President to decide the election—as well as differences, e.g., Democrat Tilden dampening, but Republican Trump encouraging, supporters’ desires for protest. Most important, we look to the Electoral Commission Act of 1877 for lessons about managing national political tensions. In the end, the Act averted the threatened February 14th electoral-count showdown and resolved a national crisis, offering a what-if scenario that national political leaders might have followed in 2021.

Author

• Michael Korzi, Towson University