Chapter 7 Summary

Mississippi-born Lamar ran for Congress as a secessionist and won. However, after the Civil War, Lamar believed the way to end the South's suffering was compromise and reconciliation with the North.

As a congressman, Lamar delivered an eloquent eulogy for Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts Democratic, as part of his plan to compromise. In 1876, Senator Lamar was asked to oversee a commission to recount the contested Hayes vs. Tilden presidential election results. Lamar's commission found that the Republican Hayes won by a single electoral vote.

In 1878, Lamar voted no against the Matthews Resolution, which encouraged inflation by the free coinage of silver, at a time when Mississippi was financially depressed. The Mississippi Legislature instructed Lamar to pass vote for the Bland Silver Bill, a bill that encouraged inflation. Lamar voted no.

Lamar toured Mississippi to explain his decisions and his constituents eventually understood and...