How did the Compromise of 1877 mark the beginning of the end of Reconstruction?

The Compromise of 1877 settled the disputed 1876 presidential election in favor of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, with the understanding that federal troops would be withdrawn from the South. Without those troops, the federal government had less ability to protect Reconstruction governments and enforce the rights of formerly enslaved people. This is why removing federal troops from the South marked Reconstruction’s decline.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.