- Creator
- United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee to inquire into the Mississippi election of 1875
- Call number
- MssCol 3088
- Physical description
- 125 items (1 box)
- Preferred Citation
- Records of the Select Committee to inquire into the Mississippi election of 1875, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Manuscripts and Archives Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
The United States Senate (44th Congress, 1st Session, 1875-1876) appointed a select committee on 31 Mar. 1876 to investigate fraud, civil rights abuses and violence surrounding the Mississippi election of 2 Nov. 1875. The scope of the inquiry was later extended to include related incidents at the Louisiana-Mississippi border. George S. Boutwell, senator from Massachusetts, was chairman of the committee. James Redpath of Massachusetts, a noted abolitionist and journalist, was clerk of the committee. The committee's report was submitted and published in 1876 as Mississippi in 1875: Report of the Select Committee to inquire into the Mississippi election of 1875 (Report, 44th Congress, 1st Session, Senate, no. 527). The collection, dating 2 Sept. 1875 to 22 Aug. 1876, consists of correspondence, telegrams, notices of public meetings, sworn statements, witness lists, committee notes, and newspaper clippings concerning the events under investigation and the work of the Select Committee, particularly its efforts to obtain witnesses for hearings in Washington and Mississippi. The bulk of the collection, dating Apr.-July 1876, consists of letters addressed or forwarded to Senator George S. Boutwell from Mississippi residents and officials affected by the events. Other recipients include Senator Oliver P. Morton and James Redpath. Prominent correspondents include Benjamin F. Butler and Adelbert Ames. Many of the documents are of a confidential nature. Some are transcript copies provided by correspondents.
Administrative information
Custodial history
The documents in this collection were retained by James Redpath to protect the identities of informants and other parties. He donated the papers to the Astor Library in 1880 with a ten-year restriction on access.
Source of acquisition
Gift of, James Redpath, 1880Key terms
Names
- United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee to inquire into the Mississippi election of 1875
- Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933
- Boutwell, George S. (George Sewall), 1818-1905
- Morton, Oliver P. (Oliver Perry), 1823-1877 (Recipient)
- Redpath, James, 1833-1891 (Recipient)
Subjects
- African Americans -- Suffrage -- Mississippi
- Civil rights -- Mississippi
- Elections -- Mississippi
- Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Louisiana
- Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Mississippi
Places
Occupations
Titles
Using the collection
Location
Manuscripts and Archives DivisionStephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Alternative form available
Available on microfilm; New York Public Library; *ZL-477