In 1877, a contested presidential election resulted in a compromise: congress would recognize the legitimacy of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes so long as the federal government would leave the South to itself, effectively ending the Reconstruction Era.

Today, we examine the parallels between then and now. In particular, we discuss the ever-lowering bar of liberal contentment...that the normalization of regressive policies has left us more willing than ever to tolerate anything that is an improvement.