The compromise was all about resolving the election of 1876 between republican nominee Rutherford Hayes and democratic nominee Samuel Tilden. After the civil war there had been troops stationed in southern states to keep things under control. The south greatly wanted these troops removed from their states and with the election looming they saw a perfect opportunity. The republicans knew that the democrats wanted the troops removed from the south. Therefore they made a compromise that if the south were to accept the results of the election, that Rutherford was the president, they would remove the troops. This essentially gave Rutherford the election and marked the end of the reconstruction era. This allowed the south to start moving forward with segregation