Question

Which of the following statements BEST explains the nature of the compromises that led to the election outcome of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction?

A) Did the northerners grow tired of the costs of Reconstruction and promise to withdraw their enforcement troops if the south would accept the gold standard initially proposed by President Grant?
B) Did Southern Democrats agree to accept Rutherford Hayes as President in a tightly contested race if the Republicans would agree to give southern states sovereignty and withdraw federal troops?
C) Did Southern Democrats agree to accept the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution as long as the new president would agree to withdraw federal troops from the south?
D) Were the northern Republicans offering to rebuild southern railroads if the Democrats would take larger steps in the implementation of the terms of Reconstruction?

Answer 1

The Compromise of 1877, where Southern Democrats accepted Rutherford B. Hayes as President in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops and internal improvements, best explains the election of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction. Option B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most accurate statement explaining the nature of the compromises leading to the election outcome of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction is:

Southern Democrats agreed to accept Rutherford Hayes as President in the tightly contested race if the Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South and give the southern states autonomy.

This agreement, known colloquially as the Compromise of 1877, took place after a special election commission awarded the Electoral College to Hayes despite Tilden winning the popular vote.

Southern Democrats did not block Hayes's presidency on the condition that he would remove federal troops and support internal improvements in the South, effectively ending Reconstruction but failing to protect the rights of former slaves.

So Option b is correct answer.