"This is a white man's country, Let white men rule." -- 1868 Democratic Campaign Motto

Color-lithographed view of the interior of Tammany Hall, the site of the 1868 Democratic National Convention, widely considered to be the worst mainstream party convention in American history.

This was the first presidential election since the end of the Civil War. It was characterized by the return of Democratic delegates from the South, the rejection of the hugely unpopular sitting President, Andrew Johnson, and overt racism and nativism.

Tammany Hall is shown festooned with red, white and blue for the Convention, which marked an important point in post-Civil War Reconstruction politics. It was an extremely disorganized affair, with the nomination process taking 22 ballots to arrive at the nomination of Horatio Seymour for President and Francis Preston Blair Jr. for Vice President. That ticket would go on to garner 47.3% of the vote, with Texas, Virginia, and Mississippi barred from participating.

In 1868, under "Boss" Tweed, Tammany Hall was nearing the apex of its power as the Democratic Party machine at the center of politics in New York City and State. With the '68 convention, it achieved national importance.