The presidential achievements of Rutherford B. Hayes are overshadowed, historically, by accounts of the election of 1876—one of the most disputed presidential elections in American history. Hayes faced conflict throughout his term. Democrats in Congress were combative. Hayes gradually lost support within his own Republican Party as well. Hayes had promised to serve only one term. It was unlikely that he would have been nominated for a second term, even if he wanted to seek reelection.

Still, Hayes provided stability and moderate leadership to an American system rocked by serious problems. Government scandals, political partisanship (placing the concerns of one's group or political party above all other considerations), an unstable economy, and sectionalism (when people place emphasis on policies that would directly benefit their area of the country) had plagued the country since the end of the Civil War (1861-65), a decade before...