Rutherford B. Hayes as Governor of Ohio

What it is

This is an eight-page pamphlet dated 1876 about Rutherford B. Hayes as governor of Ohio. It says Hayes took his seat as governor for the first time in January 1868, for the second in January 1870 and for the third in January 1876. The text lists lower state debt, reduced tax rates, improved public institutions, election reform and the ratification of the fifteenth amendment during his administrations. The copy online is a scanned PDF from the Internet Archive, so students are reading a digital scan.

Why it matters

The pamphlet presents Hayes's Ohio record in the most favorable light and was probably used during the presidential campaign. It shows how supporters chose to describe a candidate's achievements to voters. It also refers to the Democratic testimonial named in its heading, which suggests the praise was meant to reach voters across party lines.

Look closer

• Which achievements does the pamphlet choose to highlight, and what problems does it not discuss?
• Who would have distributed a pamphlet like this, and what did they want readers to think?
• How would you check the claims in this pamphlet against other sources about Ohio in the 1870s?