As Congress gears up to certify electoral votes on January 6th, several Republicans from both houses have said that they will challenge counts from certain states, citing "widespread voter fraud". Many have given the example of 1876, when allegations of fraud from both parties led to political mayhem.
In 1876, the Civil War was over, and the Republican-controlled government quickly passed laws limiting former Confederates and giving Blacks more freedom during a period called the Reconstruction. Because of this, they were overwhelmingly supported by the new Black voting population, which also elected several African Americans to Congress. The Southern white voters, who largely supported the anti-Reconstruction Democratic party, didn't like this and began to start trying to disenfranchise Black voters in the 1870s.
