On November 7, 1876, the U.S. presidential election between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden ended in dispute and controversy. Both parties claimed victory in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida, the only three remaining Reconstruction-era Southern states still controlled by Republican governments.

Key Facts:

• Tilden won the popular vote, securing 184 electoral votes, just one short of the 185 needed to win.
• Hayes had 165 electoral votes, but 20 electoral votes from the disputed states were in question.
• Election Fraud & Voter Suppression: Allegations of fraud, intimidation, and ballot stuffing were rampant, particularly in the South, where Black voters faced violent suppression.
• The Compromise of 1877: A secret deal was struck where Democrats conceded the presidency to Hayes in exchange for the removal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction and leading to the rise of Jim Crow laws.

This election remains one of the most controversial in U.S. history, as it marked a turning point for Black Americans, leading to nearly a century of racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the South.