What was the significance of the Compromise of 1877?

The significance of the Compromise of 1877 lies in its role in effectively bringing an end to the Reconstruction era. As part of the agreement that settled the disputed 1876 presidential election, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the presidency in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the southern states. This marked a critical turning point because it signaled the end of federal intervention in Southern affairs, which had been a central feature of Reconstruction.

With the removal of federal troops, Southern state governments, many of which were composed of Republicans and supported by African American voters, lost protection against white supremacist groups and violence. This shift allowed Southern states to soon implement laws and policies that rolled back the gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction, leading to the establishment of discriminatory practices and the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation.

The other choices do touch on important aspects of the era, but they do not capture the central significance of the Compromise of 1877 in the same way. While the compromise did precede the rise of Jim Crow laws, its immediate impact was to discontinue federal support for the civil rights of African Americans in the South. The Freedmen's Bureau was established earlier during Reconstruction, and while agricultural practices in the South were indeed