The election of 1876 was one of the closest and most contested races in American history, decided by a single electoral vote. As a weary nation struggled with corruption, division, and the lingering questions of Reconstruction, two governors, Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden, fought for the future of the Union. When twenty electoral votes were disputed, chaos followed, forcing Congress to intervene and make a backroom deal that changed the nation forever. This episode explores how one vote ended Reconstruction, reshaped the South, and tested the very heart of American democracy.

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