Compromise of 1877

The Compromise of 1877 refers to a purported informal, unwritten deal that settles the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election, and ends Reconstruction in the South.

Through the Compromise, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes is awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden on the understanding that Hayes will remove the federal troops whose support is essential for the survival of Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana.

The compromise involves Democrats who control the House of Representatives, allowing the decision of the Electoral Commission to take effect.

The incumbent president, Republican Ulysses S. Grant, removes the soldiers from Florida.

As president, Hayes removes the remaining troops in South Carolina and Louisiana.

As soon as the troops leave, many white Republicans also leave and the "Redeemer" Democrats take control.

What exactly happened is in some doubt as the documentation is scanty.