The Compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden won the popular vote, but Hayes was awarded the presidency after a controversial decision by Congress. In exchange for accepting Hayes as president, Southern Democrats sought the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending the Reconstruction era. This compromise marked a significant shift in U.S. politics, as it allowed the Southern states to regain control over their local governments. The withdrawal of troops led to the rise of Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation and disenfranchised African Americans in the South for decades.