Even though in the years after the Civil War the Republican Party dominated, they did begin to see few cracks in the 1872 election. Some of the liberal Republicans did not support Grant for a second term. They feared the corruption in the Grant administration and Republican corruption in the South with Reconstruction. These Republicans instead nominated Horace Greeley. With a Republican split, the Democrats jumped on board and also nominated Greeley, hoping together they could defeat Grant.
Historically Speaking 