There were a few political and economic factors that combined in the 1870s to bring about an end to Reconstruction. The Hayes-Tilden Compromise is often seen as the final point that brought an end to Reconstruction, as it led to the removal of the US army from the South. Other factors that contributed to the end of Reconstruction were the Panic of 1873 and political corruption in the United States.
In the 1870s, corruption became a noticeable problem at multiple levels of the US government. Corrupt political bosses, such as Boss Tweed, ran American cities. As this corruption became evident, many people, especially in the North, began focusing on corruption, and less attention was given to protecting rights for free African Americans. At the national level, President Grant's Secretary of Treasury was involved in the Whiskey Ring Scandal, while his Vice President was forced to resign because of the Crédit Mobilier Scandal. Other Republican legislators were also caught up in the Crédit Mobilier Scandal. The scandals of Grant's presidency led to a decline in confidence in the Republican party, which gave the Democrats a significant chance to claim the presidency for the first time since before the Civil War.
The 1876 Presidential Election between Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) and Samuel Tilden (Democrat) was very close. It appeared at first that Tilden had won, but Republicans, who were the party in favor of Reconstruction, and supported by most African Americans, claimed that African Americans had not been allowed to vote in a few Southern states. Eventually a compromise was reached in which Hayes would become president, but Republicans had to agree to end Reconstruction. With this agreement, US troops, who had been enforcing Reconstruction and protecting African Americans, would leave the South. This would leave African Americans in a vulnerable position as many Southern whites would try to destroy any progress made through Reconstruction.
Finally, the Panic of 1873 helped to bring an end to Reconstruction as well. As the economy struggled and the country sank into an economic depression, many Americans were focused on improving economic conditions. As a result, the focus on Reconstruction declined. This was understood by politicians, who no longer focused on legislation surrounding Reconstruction.
As you can see, there were a few factors that came into play when we examine the end of Reconstruction. It was not necessarily a singular event, but rather a culmination of events that brought the Reconstruction Era to a close. Many historians see Reconstruction as a failure because it did not complete what it set out to do. Following Reconstruction, African Americans would face a great deal of difficult in the era of Jim Crow.
The end of Reconstruction was in part brought about by the disputed presidential election between Samuel Tilden, a Democrat, and Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, in 1876. The Electoral College did not produce a clear winner, as the votes of several states were contentious. Therefore, through an unwritten deal, the Democrats agreed to Hayes's ascension to the presidency in return for his promise to withdraw federal troops from the South, a practice which was deeply unpopular in the Democrat-controlled south. Therefore, there were political reasons for the end of Reconstruction. In addition, many Northerners felt that after the Congress had passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments (outlawing slavery, granting slaves citizenship, and granting all men the right to vote, respectively), the federal government had done all they could to help African Americans.
In addition, the Panic of 1873, an economic downturn in the United States that persisted through the 1870s, caused Reconstruction to be less popular. The popular will turned against reconstructing the South and moved toward improving the economic health of the country. The will for the government to continue the program of Reconstruction no longer existed.
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