After federal troop withdrawal in 1877, which political power structure rose in the South?

• A. White supremacist regimes
• B. Republican coalition governance
• C. Black-led reform councils
• D. Union army regiments

Answer: (A)

When federal troops left the South in 1877, white Southern elites moved to reclaim political control, leading to the rise of white supremacist regimes across the region. This shift, often described in history as the ascendancy of the Redeemers, saw Democrats retake state governments and use violence, intimidation, and legalized Jim Crow measures to disenfranchise Black voters and roll back Reconstruction gains. The resulting power structure established long-lasting white dominance in Southern politics and set the stage for segregated, unequal governance.

The other options don’t fit this turning point because the Republican coalition that had been propped up by federal enforcement and Black political participation collapsed after withdrawal; Black-led reform councils did not become the prevailing political authority; and Union army regiments are military forces, not political governments.