Answer:
The contested presidential election of 1876 had a significant impact on policies in the South. The election was between Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes and Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Southern states were still in a state of political and social upheaval, with Reconstruction policies attempting to address issues related to civil rights, voting rights, and the reintegration of former Confederate states into the Union.
During the 1876 election, there were disputed electoral votes in four states: Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon. To resolve the election impasse, a special electoral commission was formed, composed of five members from the House, five from the Senate, and five Supreme Court justices. The commission, however, consisted of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, which raised concerns about its impartiality.
In a controversial political compromise known as the Compromise of 1877, it was agreed that Hayes would become president, and in exchange, the federal troops, which were enforcing Reconstruction policies in the South, would be withdrawn. This effectively marked the end of Reconstruction.
The withdrawal of federal troops from the South had several consequences that significantly impacted policies in the region:
1. **End of Reconstruction Policies:** With the federal troops gone, the Southern states were no longer subject to the stringent policies of Reconstruction. This allowed Southern states to revert to state control over their policies without federal oversight.
2. **Resurgence of White Supremacy:** The end of Reconstruction opened the door for the resurgence of white supremacy and the implementation of oppressive policies against African Americans. Southern states enacted "Jim Crow" laws, which enforced racial segregation and limited the rights of African Americans, particularly in voting, education, and public facilities.
3. **Suppression of African American Voting Rights:** With the removal of federal protection, Southern states enacted various measures, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses, to disenfranchise African American voters. These tactics effectively suppressed the political power of the African American community in the South for decades.
4. **Economic Exploitation:** Without federal intervention, Southern states were able to enact policies that favored wealthy landowners and industrialists. This led to the continuation of sharecropping and tenant farming systems, which exploited African American and poor white laborers.
5. **Reconciliation and the "Lost Cause" Narrative:** With the end of Reconstruction, the South embarked on a campaign to rewrite the narrative of the Civil War and glorify the Confederacy's cause. This "Lost Cause" narrative sought to downplay the role of slavery in the war and romanticize the antebellum South.
Overall, the contested election of 1876 and the subsequent Compromise of 1877 resulted in the withdrawal of federal intervention in the South, which had profound and long-lasting effects on the region's policies, leading to the institutionalization of segregation and discrimination against African Americans for many decades to come.
Step-by-step explanation: