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The election of 1876 was a contested election with no clear winner the next day. This election occurred during Reconstruction--the era after the Civil War which was marked by large-scale efforts to address racial inequities following the abolition of de jure slavery. /thread
First, some background: During Reconstruction, the federal government occupied the South and offered protection to freedpeople. Black men were granted suffrage and hundreds of Black Americans filled political positions across the nation.
Although there were advancements to improve racial equality, Reconstruction efforts were ultimately defeated by racist restrictions, violent/widespread backlash from white supremacists, and the North’s increasing apathy toward the South.
Reconstruction ended with the heavily contested election between Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio, a Republican, and Gov. Samuel J. Tilden of New York, a Democrat. (It should be noted that ideologies of these parties differ today than in the 19th century)
The outcome of the race depended on the disputed returns from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina--the last remaining states where Reconstruction-era Republicans maintained power. Tilden won the popular vote, but was short on the Electoral College votes needed to win.
A secret committee negotiated a shadowy, backroom deal in which Democrats conceded to Hayes on the condition that Republicans cease federal occupation of the South. The Compromise of 1877 marked the end of Reconstruction and left African Americans across the South unprotected.
It allowed southern states to solidify Jim Crow segregation, leading to a dramatic increase in lynchings. It ushered in a new wave of voter suppression policies through the levying of poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests.
The results of this contested election uplifted white supremacy, reversed Reconstruction gains, and set the template for race relations until the Civil Rights movement—almost a century later. It should serve as a model and warning as we analyze this current election.