Compromise of 1877

The Compromise of 1877 refers to a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the disputed 1876 U.S. Presidential election and ended the Reconstruction of the South period. After the Civil War, Congress started the Reconstruction. The South, of course, didn't want this Reconstruction and wanted to be more independent from the North. The North also really wanted the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, to win the presidential election. Due to these factors, the Republicans and Democrats cut a deal: reconstruction would end as long as Hayes became president. This, like the Corrupt Bargain, was a purchased presidency. However, unlike the Corrupt Bargain, it can be shown more as nationalism than sectionalism. The Corrupt Bargain highlighted the divide within the political parties, where as the Compromise of 1877 brings out a unity of the parties. Although the parties only favored the compromise because it was in their best interests, they still came together and reached just that...a compromise.