Final answer:
By the end of Reconstruction, white Americans chose to abandon the integration efforts of African Americans and resurrect white supremacy, enacting Jim Crow laws and disfranchising black voters, which led to a significant reduction in African American political participation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conclusion of Reconstruction and White American Choices
By the end of Reconstruction in 1877, federal efforts to integrate African Americans into Southern society were losing national interest, particularly after the Depression of 1873. This period had initially allowed for an unprecedented level of democratic participation by African Americans. However, the contested Presidential election of 1876, which lead to the Compromise of 1877, resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and marked the end of Reconstruction. Conservative white Democrats regained power in Southern state legislatures and systematically disfranchised black voters through measures such as literary tests and poll taxes. This paved the way for the establishment of Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation and curtailed the freedoms of African Americans. The white American choice was decidedly against the continuation of Reconstruction policies and in favor of reinstating white supremacy in the South.
With the retaking of government control by Southern white Democrats, a sharp decline ensued in the political participation of African Americans which lingered well into the 20th century. These actions not only undid the gains made by African Americans but also set the stage for decades of systemic discrimination and racial injustice — a counterrevolution characterized by violence, intimidation, and disenfranchisement of black voters.