Final answer:
The Compromise of 1877 was a significant political deal that ended Reconstruction and impacted the presidential election of 1876, allowing Rutherford B. Hayes to become president in exchange for concessions to the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Compromise of 1877 was a pivotal agreement between the Republican and Democratic parties that played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the 1876 Presidential election, which had been marred by allegations of electoral fraud and the possible need for a congressional decision. The key elements of the Compromise included the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending the period of Reconstruction, as well as concessions on southern transcontinental line land grants and federal funding for internal improvements in the South. As part of the deal, Democrats agreed not to filibuster the Electoral Commission's decision that awarded the election to Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for control over federal patronage in the South and the end of federal intervention in southern states.
This arrangement signaled the end of stringent Reconstruction policies and marked the beginning of the 'Solid South', where the Southern states would consistently vote for the Democratic Party. Despite Hayes' intentions, the withdrawal of troops led to a deterioration of civil rights for African Americans in the South, as the new Southern governments established policies that effectively disenfranchised them. The Compromise of 1877 is sometimes referred to by African Americans from that period as "The Great Betrayal" due to its negative impact on their rights and status.