Dickinson College hist204 sp08
History 204 Sp 08 | Political Life | Cultural Life | Economic Life
Political Life in Cumberland County 1876
Office Holders of Cumberland County in 1876
Register- Martin Guswiler
Clerk- D.B. Stevick
Sheriff- David H. Gill
Treasurer- A. Agnew Thomson
District Attorney- F.E. Beltzhoover
County Commissioner- Jacob Barber
President Judge- Martin C. Hernamn
Associate Judges- Henry G. Moser and Abram Witmer
Representatives in Congress- Mohn A. Magee and Levi Maish
State Senators- James M. Weakly and James Chestnut
National Politics
1876 marked a period of transition for the United States, particularly in terms of politics; one of the most controversial presidential elections was held and Reconstruction was coming to an end.
The Election In November 1876, Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat) of New York defeated Ohio's Rutherford Hayes (Republican) by over 250,000 votes in the popular vote and held 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 yet uncounted. These 20 electoral votes included three states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina) and were in dispute. These states disqualified Democratic votes because of the misleading nature of the ballots and the votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes, who won the election with by an electoral vote count of 185 to 184. This election and the campaigns of both men were of great interest both nationally and in Cumberland County; issues of the Carlisle Herald and of the Volunteer from 1876 thoroughly cover these political events.
The Compromise of 1877 was reached between the Democratic and Republican parties as a means of resolving the disputed 1876 election and ending the era of Reconstruction. Under this compromise, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the electoral votes that would give him the White House on the understanding that Hayes would remove the federal troops that were supporting the Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. Without the presence of federal troops, many Democrats were able to take control back in these formally Confederate states.
Economics
It cost $15 to attend the fall term at Dickinson College in 1876 and $25 to attend the spring and winter terms.
Political and Social Attitudes Towards Native Americans In Carlisle
This article examines the general perceptions and attitudes concerning Native Americans in Carlisle in the years leading up to the formation of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879. In these years, the idea of Indian assimilation through eduation was becoming increasingly popular; this was a significant change from the more violent approach adopted by the Federal Government just a few years earlier. Evidence shows that Carlisle was a logical fit for the Indian school because of its location and because of the citizens of the town were generally receptive to Lt. Pratt's assimilation plan. However, there certainly were some concerns voiced by a minority of the population. Click this link to view the main page on Perceptions/Attitudes Towards Native Americans in Carlisle.
The Political Movement of Temperance
Views on distilled spirits in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania fluctuated greatly during the nineteenth century. At one point in the Upper Allen Township it was difficult to find a farm on which its owner was not running a still, converting grain into whiskey. In 1835 Cumberland County housed over eighty distilleries and pumped out more than a million gallons of whiskey every year. Yet, by 1876, the year in which America was celebrating its Centennial, views had very much changed. Temperance movements, which were originally seen as nuisances to legitimate business men and often written off as groups who ignored social norms, had gained great prominence. Click this link to view the main page on Temperance in Cumberland County.
