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__ Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) __


 * Political Party:** Republican
 * Terms:** 1869-1877
 * Vice Presidents:** First term: Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873), Second term: Henry Wilson (1873-1875)


 * Theme: American Identity **

Near the beginning of Grant’s Presidency, a major movement in America began with the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad as it affected all American’s throughout the nation and time. To American’s of the 1870’s, the railroad was the beginning of American growth and a major connection between the east and west. The railroad revolutionized America by making travel and trade between the two coasts faster and more profitable. This new advancement allowed for expansion into the west by farmers who could now ship their goods back east. With this great advancement, many scandals and trusts sprang up that plagued Grant’s administration and the citizens of the U.S. This was the beginning of big businesses’ control over America as the railroads were able to charge whatever they wanted and used pooling and trusts to manipulate the market and the citizens. The Transcontinental Railroad was both a gift and a curse upon America as it helped America expand exponentially faster but began the war between average citizens, like farmers, and the big businesses. Looking for help, the poor and underprivileged farmers turned to Grant for assistance further pressuring him to choose between the people of the nation and the economic success of scandalous corporations like Credit Mobilier. The Presidencies of Lincoln and Johnson before him lead Grant to the next major event in his career, the creation of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. After his election, in response to Southern tactics to stop black voters, Grant helped create the Fifteenth Amendment in order to secure voting rights for all male individuals and pass it through Congress. The amendment was a success and although segregation was still rampant more black voters turned out on election days, furthering the Republican Party. If black voters did not help with Republican votes in the south, Republicans may have lost more elections then they already were in the South. Although the 15th Amendment also angered many individuals, mostly women, who were pro-suffrage for all citizens of the U.S., male and female, it gave them a stepping block for the women’s suffrage movement in the coming decades and may have helped win them the right to vote. The 15th Amendment was a major turning point in American history, and, helped along by President Grant, it furthered the American ideal of equality and equal say for all.


 * Presidential Grading **

Throughout his Presidency, Ulysses Grant was impassive toward the nation and allowed many scandals, crooks, and monopolies to harm the citizens of the nation while he was ignorant to being a helping cause, as in the Black Friday Scandal. Because the nation was still in a state of repair after Reconstruction from the Civil War, the country needed a strong and capable leader, and although he was a war hero, President Grant was neither of these and failed the nation in many ways earning him a D grade for his Presidency. In his first inaugural address, Grant stated that he would always enforce the laws of Congress and the Constitution whether he approved of them or not, yet he worked with scammers and thieves who used him to further their plots and scandals such as when he was given stocks of the Credit Mobilier company and assisted Fisk and Gould with the Black Friday Scandal. Although a military man of strong morals, President Grant failed to see his own ignorance in the ways of economy and business and allowed himself to be used to break the very laws he vowed to enforce. One of the other key points of his speech was his desire to pay off the nation’s debt in a fair and easy manner which was derailed as economic panic occurred in 1873 due to his allowance of uninhibited capitalist growth in the nation by big businesses and greedy speculators. President Grant did succeed in one aspect of his address which was his assurance that he would protect the rights of all citizens and work to secure suffrage by helping promote the 15th Amendment to give voting rights to all nonwhite citizens. For his second inaugural address, President Grant set forth the goals of creating a strong gold standard in America, making peace with the Native Americans, and reforming the civil service of the government. Although the gold standard was established with the stoppage of silver coinage in 1873, this was a bad thing for the country as it increased the panic of ’73 and lead to a Democratic boom in ‘74 and the creation of the Greenback Labor Party, harming the Republican Party. Seeking to make peace with the Indians, President Grant, sticking to his soldier roots, made war instead as he sent troops in to the Sioux War and allowed for merciless killings of many Indian children and women as his soldiers slaughtered them in the name of self-defense. Finally, instead of reforming the civil service of America, he allowed the spoils system to continue in his own party for years to come and allowed the Hayes-Tilden standoff to occur at the end of his Presidency without offering any recourse or solution. Extremely unqualified for higher office, Grant proved how he was simply a figurehead and could not even accomplish the very goals he set for himself let alone the ones set by the citizens of the nation who supported him. As several nations had yet to be readmitted into the nation at the beginning of Grant’s Presidency, Congress had a Republican majority in both the House and Senate for all of his first term and the first half of his second term. Although an incompetent leader, President Grant was blessed with a party majority in Congress that allowed the 15th Amendment to pass along with the Civil Rights Act and Coinage Act of 1873 which were meant to fulfill his and the Republican’s goals of a gold standard and equal rights for non-white citizens. Unfortunately, Congress did not have the strength to fulfill these laws, and Grant was to ignorant to see the coming tidal wave of Democrats as the Republican’s hard-money policies and Coinage Act caused a boom in Democratic elections in the 1874 elections, creating a Democratic majority in the House. This change in power lead to little legislation being made during the 44th Congressional session and caused the Hayes-Tilden Standoff in 1876 that nearly sent the country back into Civil War. Luckily for the Republicans, although not the nation, the Compromise of 1877 was passed, and using the clout President Grant, the Republicans were able to take control of the Electoral Commission and win the election for President Hayes. Throughout his election, Grant was on good terms with Congress, but it is evident by how the Republicans used Grant that he was simply a figurehead and had no real power over Congress. When the Democrats were able to take the House majority, they prevented the Republicans from doing any more damage but showed the weakness and danger of the system as the nation nearly returned to Civil War during Grant’s second term in office. The most positive action of Grant’s Administration was the passage of the 15th Amendment which guaranteed suffrage to all non-white male citizens of the U.S.A. Since most of Grant’s Presidency was filled with scandal and turmoil both politically and economically, the 15th Amendment was a good occurrence because it protected the American ideal of free speech and equal voice in government that many southerners were trying to take from their black counterparts. It was also a perfect example of American devotion to the cause of equality and democracy because it gave suffrage to those Americans who were underprivileged before and made way for the Woman’s Suffrage movement of the coming decades. Although many woman’s rights activist were angered by the 15th Amendments exclusion of women, it may very well be one of the key reasons woman’s suffrage succeeded years later since it gave them a strong reason to have the same rights as men who were once prohibited from the rights they then had. After several promises to protect the Native Americans and their land, as well as paying for food and aid, President Grant allowed an all-out slaughter against the Indians to occur with the Sioux War as he sent Colonels like Colonel Custer at Little Bighorn. He said in his inaugural address that he sought peace and equality for the Indians, yet he broke the very promises he made and allowed such scandals as the William Belknap Scandal to occur which gave the Native Americans subpar supplies and lead to many deaths. The wholesale slaughter that occurred in the Indian territories was caused by Grant’s failure to uphold the promises to let them live freely. If Custer had not been sent to Montana, the Sioux War would not have occurred and heavy losses would not have been felt on both sides. This pointless fighting continued as Indians attempted to fight back against the continuing encroachment of U.S. soldiers and citizens but ended up being slaughter like their ancestors. It was a truly sad and despicable aspect of American history and Native American Policy. Of all the Presidents, Grant was one of the most incompetent, ineffective, and unqualified leaders the nation has ever had. President Ulysses Grant had no real effect on his own administration, let alone future generations. As was the mold of Gilded Age, his Presidency did not change or impact the nation of his own time or the future. The only major event that occurred was the 15th Amendment which had already been proposed before he took office. Grant was a war hero, strong and stubborn, untrained as a politician or national leader, as he proved many times while in office. Although he had been a strong leader in the military, he was completely incompetent as a President and had no lasting impact on the nation. During his time in office, he ignorantly succumbed to scandals and corruption in the nation and even his own office. After eight years in office, President Grant made almost no mark on history as exemplified by the old joke, “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb.” Without causing any serious changes or occurrences during his Presidency, it is obvious that, although a strong individual, Grant was not a strong leader and did not affect future administrations. After President Grant left office, the nation had barely changed from when he went into office. The United States was still plagued with trouble from Reconstruction and facing much corruption and deceit. Considering how little occurred during his Presidency, Grant may have earned an F for allowing the suffering of the Native Americans at the hands of U.S. soldiers and all the corruption in his administration. However, during his term, the 15th Amendment was ratified forever changing the U.S. and promoting the ideal of a people’s government, and since he did not stop it or screw it up, President grant deserves a slight boost to a solid D grade.

Works Cited:

"American President: Ulysses S. Grant: A Life in Brief." // Miller Center //. University of Virginia. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. .

Kelly, Martin. "Ulysses Grant Biography - Eighteenth President of the United States." // American History From About //. New York Times Company. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. .

Ulysses S. Grant: “Inaugural Address," March 4, 1869.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, //The American Presidency Project//. [].

Ulysses S. Grant: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1873.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, //The American Presidency Project//. [].

"Ulysses S. Grant." // The White House //. United States Goverment. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. .