Thanks to the Compromise of 1877, the era of Reconstruction in the South ended. Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War in which the federal government took an enormous role in helping former slaves to adjust to life as US citizens. However, thanks to the Compromise of 1877, the federal government stopped these efforts in the southern states, allowing for legal segregation to take place.
After 1877, Southern states instituted different places for black and white citizens. This included restaurants, movie theaters, parks, and schools. This legal segregation would be further supported by the Supreme Court in their ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson.