Civics & Coffee: “From Disputed Election to Gilded Age Leader: Rutherford B Hayes Part 2”

Host: Alycia Asai
Date: January 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this second part of her exploration of President Rutherford B. Hayes, Alycia Asai examines Hayes’s presidency during the tumultuous Gilded Age. The episode investigates how Hayes addressed pressing national crises, his complicated stance on civil rights, and the nuanced nature of his legacy. Asai highlights Hayes's efforts to unify a divided nation, the consequences of his decision-making—particularly regarding the South, civil service reform, racial issues in the West, and his significance as an early “modern” president.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Southern Crisis and the End of Reconstruction

• The Political Dilemma (02:28)

  • Hayes inherited states with disputed governments and relied on federal troops to uphold Republican administrations in South Carolina and Louisiana.
  • "Hayes…was now looking for a way to unify the country once and for all." (03:01)
  • Public and congressional appetite for federal intervention in the South was diminishing. Hayes sought promises from Southern leaders to respect Black rights before agreeing to withdraw troops.
  • Notable Quote:
    “The result of my plans is to get from these states … pledges that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments shall be faithfully observed, that the colored people shall have equal rights to labor, education, and the privileges of citizenship.” — Rutherford B. Hayes diary, cited by Alycia Asai (04:13)
  • Despite these promises, Black rights were curbed almost immediately upon troop withdrawal.

• Annual Address Perspective (05:01)

  • Hayes believed his course brought “order” and a return to normalcy in the South.
  • Notable Quote:
    “There has been a general reestablishment of order and of the orderly administration of justice. … Such are some of the results already attained upon which the country is to be congratulated.” — President Hayes, Annual Address, December 1877 (05:34)
  • Asai critiques this assessment, noting “whatever ‘peace’ achieved in the South was one that was questionable at best and forced at worst.” (06:34)

2. Civil Service Reform and Party Alienation

• Patronage Struggles (07:12)
  • Hayes pushed for an honest, merit-based system. He re-established the Civil Service Commission and appointed reformers like Carl Schurz, but Republican party members resisted losing patronage power.
  • Minor victories in federal appointments were overshadowed by strong opposition in key states like New York, exemplified by Roscoe Conkling’s influence.
  • Hayes attempted to bar federal officials from being compelled into political activity via executive order, but met limited success.

3. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

• Labor Unrest (08:52)
  • “Labor and business interests collided, prompting one of the largest general strikes in American history.”
  • Hayes authorized federal intervention. The episode foreshadows expanded discussion in a future episode.

4. Financial Policy Turmoil (09:43)

• Lame Duck Presidency and Party Tensions
  • Hayes faced opposition from his own party and Congress, especially after the Democrats won the House.
  • The passage of the Bland Silver Bill and others over Hayes’s vetoes illustrated his limited political capital.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Democrats…did not count on so stubborn a resistance as the President has made. They had so often described him as a poor creature without a mind of his own that they had come themselves to believe what they said.” — New York Evening Post, cited by Alycia Asai (11:00)

5. Civil Rights Enforcement Battles

• Appropriation Bill Riders (10:35)
  • Democrats attached provisions to funding bills to undermine civil rights enforcement. Hayes refused to sign anything but “clean” bills, repeatedly exercising his veto.
  • When confronted by a Black delegation about civil rights violations, Hayes admitted having “done all he could do,” reflecting the limitations of his leadership and federal reach.

6. Chinese Immigration and Racial Tensions in the West

• Anti-Chinese Agitation (13:11)
  • Chinese immigrants were targeted by white laborers fearing for jobs, leading to the formation of anti-Chinese parties and violence.
  • Hayes vetoed Congress’s early attempts to restrict Chinese immigration, working instead to renegotiate the Burlingame Treaty to allow for some U.S. control over admission, but not total exclusion.
  • The compromise treaty would be ratified after Hayes left office.

7. The “Indian Question” and Assimilation Efforts

• Hayes’s Paternalistic Legacy (15:50)
  • Hayes supported phasing out the reservation system for assimilation, including the founding of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
  • Asai notes Hayes’s goal for peaceful integration was “progress for its era, even as it displays paternalism.”

8. Presidential Travel & Communication Innovations

• Media Savvy (17:24)
  • Hayes traveled extensively, covering 32 states, using speeches and newspaper coverage to communicate with the public before modern PR.
  • “He was one of the first modern presidents…utilizing the press to drum up public support.” (18:20)

9. Foreign Affairs

• Limited Focus Abroad (18:42)
  • Aside from moderating anti-Chinese sentiment and border disputes with Mexico, Hayes's presidency was overwhelmingly domestically focused.

10. Retirement & Assessing the Legacy

• Post-Presidency Activities (19:12)
  • After leaving office, Hayes was active in banking, education, and prison reform. He outlived his wife Lucy by several years.
  • Historic Reputation:
    • Asai emphasizes the “nuanced” legacy — Hayes is seen as ethical in a corrupt era, but his withdrawal from the South marked the effective end of Black political rights there.
    • Citing historian Robert D. Johnston:
      “For all practical purposes, Reconstruction was over when Hayes took office. His only real choice was not whether, but when troops had to cease protecting Republican governments in South Carolina and Louisiana.” (20:55)
    • Hayes himself compared his challenges to Lincoln’s, contending he had achieved unity:
      “It would be difficult to find one which began with so rough a situation and few which closed with so smooth a sea.” — Rutherford B. Hayes (21:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Black Rights in the South
  “The result of my plans is to get from these states by their governors, legislatures, press and people pledges that the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments shall be faithfully observed...” — Rutherford B. Hayes, via Alycia Asai (04:13)

• On Post-Reconstruction South
  “There has been a general re-establishment of order and of the orderly administration of justice. ... Such are some of the results already attained upon which the country is to be congratulated.” — Hayes Annual Address, 1877 (05:34)

• On Congressional Resistance
  “Democrats...did not count on so stubborn a resistance as the President has made. They had so often described him as a poor creature without a mind of his own that they had come themselves to believe what they said.” — New York Evening Post (11:00)

• On Reconstruction’s End
  “For all practical purposes, Reconstruction was over when Hayes took office. His only real choice was not whether, but when troops had to cease protecting Republican governments in South Carolina and Louisiana.” — Historian Robert D. Johnston (20:55)

• Hayes’s Self-Assessment
  “It would be difficult to find one which began with so rough a situation and few which closed with so smooth a sea.” — Rutherford B. Hayes (21:50)

Segment Timestamps

• 02:28 — Hayes assumes presidency & faces the South’s crisis
• 04:13 — Hayes’s diary on intent of troop removal
• 05:34 — Annual Address touting “peace” in the South
• 07:12 — Civil service reform and cabinet appointments
• 08:52 — Railroad Strike of 1877 and federal intervention
• 09:43 — Financial policy unrest and Congressional conflict
• 10:35 — Civil rights battles and appropriation bills
• 11:00 — Press commentary on Hayes’s stubbornness
• 13:11 — Chinese immigration tensions and Hayes’s responses
• 15:50 — Indian assimilation policies and schools
• 17:24 — Presidential travel and early media strategy
• 18:42 — Limited foreign policy
• 19:12 — Hayes’s life after office
• 20:55 — Historians’ interpretation of Hayes’s legacy
• 21:50 — Hayes compares his presidency to Lincoln’s

Final Reflection

Alycia Asai concludes that Hayes was “a largely ethical man in an era where ethics and integrity were in short supply,” acknowledging his pioneering approach to the presidency and his ultimately incomplete efforts to secure equality and civil rights. Hayes’s great unifying act both stitched the nation together and left Black Americans vulnerable, showing the complex legacies forged by leaders during transitional times.

This episode provides a balanced, engaging look at Rutherford B. Hayes’s presidency, placing his choices and legacy in the broader context of Gilded Age America.