Final answer:
The Democratic Party critiqued the Republican administration during the 1868 presidential election for their reliance on the 'bloody shirt' campaign strategy and handling of national issues like the 1873 economic downturn.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the presidential elections of 1868, the Democratic Party criticized the Republican administration for its handling of issues such as the Crédit Mobilier scandal and policy choices relating to the war's aftermath. Democrats emphasized the Republican reliance on the so-called 'bloody shirt' campaign strategy that intended to remind voters about the Civil War and its considerable human toll, attributing it to the Democrats and southern confederates.
The Democratic nominee, Horatio Seymour, was less successful against Ulysses S. Grant, the Union's war hero, who easily won the presidency, partly due to the stigmatization of the Democratic Party as a symbol of disunion. Meanwhile, Republicans used the bloody shirt tactic to recall the devastating Civil War and the violence of its aftermath. Despite the critique, the Democratic Party, marred by the war's stigma, was still recovering from the recent civil conflict and their perceived association with division and rebellion.
Furthermore, Democrats also pointed out the incumbent Republican administration's role in significant national issues, such as the economic downturn that the US experienced around 1873. They argued that the Republicans were responsible for this depression-like condition in the country.
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