Which group gained control of the Southern states after the withdrawal of federal troops around 1877?

The group that gained control of the Southern states after the withdrawal of federal troops around 1877 was the Democrats. This shift occurred in the context of the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended the Reconstruction era. Following the Civil War, during Reconstruction, the federal government had administered the Southern states, primarily through Republican-led efforts, to rebuild and integrate them into the Union.

As federal troops withdrew, the political landscape in the South shifted significantly. Southern Democrats, often referred to as "Redeemers," capitalized on the withdrawal of federal enforcement and reasserted their control. They sought to restore white supremacy and enact laws that would maintain racial segregation and disenfranchise Black voters, resulting in the establishment of Jim Crow laws. This transition to Democratic dominance marked a significant turning point in Southern politics, highlighting the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of a new era characterized by institutional racism and oppression of African Americans.