What was the Election of 1876?

• A. Election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes
• B. Election between Ulysses S. Grant and Horatio Seymour
• C. Election between Rutherford B. Hayes and James Garfield
• D. Election between Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is a presidential race that became famous for its near-tie and its disputed results. The candidates were Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. Tilden won the popular vote and appeared to have the lead in electoral votes, but several states sent conflicting slates of electors, leaving about 20 electoral votes in question. Because neither man could claim a clear majority, Congress created an Electoral Commission to determine how those votes should be counted. The commission ultimately awarded the disputed electoral votes to Hayes, giving him the victory by a narrow margin.

Behind the scenes, this outcome led to a political bargain—the Compromise of 1877—where Hayes agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. This combination of a disputed election and its negotiated resolution is what makes the Election of 1876 so notable.