Answer: D - Back-room deals that settled the disputed presidential race between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden included Hayes' agreement to remove federal troops from the states still undergoing Reconstruction in exchange for the electoral votes necessary to give him the presidency. By removing the troops, states were left to their own devices to finish re-establishing their governments. The rise of militant forces in the Southern states led to political takeovers by regressive leaders, who instituted segregationist policies and refused federal intervention in social programs.
