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MYSTERY

Democracy Under Pressure: Lessons from America's Past

This election cycle feels like one of the tensest I’ve experienced. I worry that the democracy I know is under attack as leaders challenge democratic norms and concentrate power.It is difficult to accept policies that threaten health care and food assistance for struggling families. It is equally troubling when access to information is restricted and public statements conflict with established facts. I fear a future in which wealthy industrialists wield disproportionate influence over our government. At least, that’s how I see it. But America has weathered bitter political battles before. How do today's divisions compare with some of the most contentious presidential elections in our history?

  1800: A Constitutional Deadlock: Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both Democratic-Republicans, tied with 73 electoral votes each. The House of Representatives had to break the deadlock, taking 36 ballots before Jefferson prevailed. The crisis led to the Twelfth Amendment, which required electors to cast separate votes for president and vice president. Political rivalries can turn deadly. In 1804, Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. No matter how deeply divided we are today, I don't believe violence is the answer to our nation's problems.

1824: The “Corrupt Bargain”: Andrew Jackson won more popular and electoral votes than any other candidate, but no one secured an electoral majority. The House chose John Quincy Adams. When Adams subsequently appointed Henry Clay secretary of state, Jackson's supporters accused the men of making a corrupt bargain. Jackson ran again in 1828—and won.

1860: An Election That Tore the Nation Apart: Abraham Lincoln won the presidency with about 40 percent of the popular vote. His opposition to the expansion of slavery made him unacceptable to many Southern leaders. South Carolina seceded weeks after his victory, followed by other Southern states. The Civil War began in April 1861. The election also led to his untimely death. This election reminds us that when political divisions become irreconcilable, the consequences can extend far beyond the ballot box.

1876: A Compromise with Lasting Consequences: A special commission settled the disputed election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden in Hayes's favor after awarding him the contested electoral votes. Political negotiations produced the Compromise of 1877, which included the withdrawal of remaining federal troops from the South. The end of Reconstruction weakened federal protection for formerly enslaved people and helped pave the way for decades of segregation and disenfranchisement. A political compromise may resolve an immediate crisis, but we must also consider who pays the price.

2000: Five Weeks of Uncertainty: The contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush came down to Florida, where a narrow margin triggered recounts and lawsuits. The Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore effectively ended the recount. Bush won the Electoral College, although Gore received more than 500,000 additional popular votes nationwide. The election demonstrated how a small number of disputed ballots in one state can determine the outcome of a national contest.

2020: A Challenge to the Peaceful Transfer of Power: Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump amid a pandemic and deep national divisions. Trump disputed the results, alleging widespread election fraud. Courts rejected numerous legal challenges, and election officials certified the results in their jurisdictions. On January 6, 2021, as Congress counted the electoral votes, a mob of Trump supporters, with his encouragement, stormed the Capitol and interrupted the proceedings. Congress later reconvened and certified Biden's victory. The attack was a sobering reminder that democracy depends not only on election laws but also on a willingness to accept lawful outcomes and resolve disputes without violence.

Midterm Elections also Changed America 

The 1866 midterm became a referendum on Reconstruction and on Johnson, who had alienated many Republicans. Anti-Johnson Republicans won overwhelmingly in both chambers of Congress, giving them the two-thirds majorities needed to override the president’s vetoes. Over the next two years, Congress ratified the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment protected voting rights for all men regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

The 1934 midterms were a win for the New Deal. Democrats in both houses of Congress gained seats, allowing the Social Security Act, the Wagner Act (which guaranteed collective bargaining), and the WPA (Works Progress Administration) to pass. Four years later, there was a conservative backlash over his attempt to purge his own party of anti-New Democrats.

Though Lyndon B. Johnson won a landslide victory in 1964 over conservative Barry Goldwater, the Democratic Party suffered a stinging midterm reversal. The civil rights acts Johnson touted fueled a Republican surge among Southern Democrats that lasted decades. 

The midterms in 1994 marked a major shift in American politics, giving Republicans control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in 40 years. This was primarily due to President Bill Clinton’s unsuccessful push for healthcare reform and his “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy,” allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve in the military.

The 2010 midterms,s another big win for Republicans, were fueled by a grassroots conservative movement called the Tea Party. In the wake of the Great Recession, anger over government bailouts of large financial firms fueled a protest against government spending, the national debt, and President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The House losses were huge, though the Senate held its majority.  Though the Tea party faded as a political movement, its anti-establishment politics influenced the Republican Party during Donald Trump’s rise to power. 

Why History Matters Now

As we approach the November 2026 midterm elections, we are not choosing a president, but we are choosing the representatives who will shape our laws and help determine how our government operates. The stakes are significant.

Our history shows that democracy is neither automatic nor guaranteed. It depends on institutions that protect our rights, leaders who respect the law, a free press, and citizens willing to participate even when the political climate is discouraging.

This is one reason I write the Rightfully Mine series. My novels explore what happens when powerful interests put profit and control ahead of people's rights—to clean water, unpolluted air, safe food, and a voice in decisions that affect their lives. Although the stories are fiction, the underlying questions are real: Who holds power? Who is held accountable? And what happens when ordinary people refuse to accept injustice?

I don't expect everyone to agree on every issue. Disagreement is part of democracy. But protecting our right to disagree peacefully—and ensuring that our government remains accountable to the people—is essential.

Learn about the candidates. Question what you read. Check claims against reliable sources. Listen to people whose experiences differ from your own. And vote. Democracy isn't something we inherit once and can then take for granted. It is something we must work to preserve, election after election.

References:

Pruitt, S. (2016). Most Contentious US Presidential Elections.HIstory. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/articles/most-contentious-u-s-presidential-elections

  Roots, D. (2026) 5 Misdterm elections That Changed America. History. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/articles/5-midterm-elections-that-changed-america

I look forward to your thoughts in the comment section below.

Mystery is available for sale through my website, If interested go to https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/3288831/mystery#/

Purchase the Rightfully Mine Novels to understand why access to clean water and unpolluted air should be considered a right notraded on wall street.  purchase books go to https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Books+by+Marilynne+Eichinger