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Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) Terms of office: March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877 Political party: Republican Vice President: Schuyler Colfax (1869–1873) Henry Wilson (1873–1875) //None// (1875–1877)

Issues in the nation during President Grant’s terms of office presented him with challenges for which his military experience could never have prepared him. His performance merits a C because his good intentions and efforts were offset by the scandals that plagued his presidency.

Grant’s major goal upon entering office was to continue the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. He walked a fine line between racists and newly freed slaves, and aimed to protect African-Americans without losing political support in the South. To protect voting rights, Grant passed the Enforcement Acts, including the Ku Klux Klan Act, which strived to prevent retribution against blacks in the South. Despite his good intentions, he was less than successful at implementing effective policies given the turmoil of the period. Additionally, Grant was the first advocate for more professionalism in government, which led him to introduce the Civil Service Commission. It sought to counter the spoils system and was fairly successful in doing so.

From 1875-1876, the Democrats held Congress. The rest of Grant’s terms, however, Congress was predominately Republican. Grant vetoed more bills than any of the presidents before him and Congress only overturned four of them. Nevertheless, Grant took a limited view of presidential powers. In doing so, he lost some of the powers that came with the presidency. Congress basically took a more dominant role and went their own way.

Grant introduced initiatives to professionalize the government through civil service, which has had an enduring impact on the nation. It brought a higher level of competency to the government beaucracy and was a sign cant improvement from the spoils system that was prevalent earlier. Grant’s initiative of the Civil Service Commission, which hires based on merit, is still used today by the government. The most negative outcome was his failure to recognize and prevent scandals that were undermining his presidency. The Whiskey Ring, Credit Mobilier and Black Friday scandals were examples of this. Blindly loyal to the perpetrators of these transgressions, Grant undoubtedly fell flat in taking action.

The presidency of Grant left the nation not in better or worse shape. While his intentions were admirable, his inability to stop the corruption tarnished his presidency, proving that just because he was a famed Civil War General did not qualify him to be a good president. He deserves a C for his administration.

"American President: Ulysses S. Grant: Domestic Affairs." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

disarray, 1875 the Grant administration was in, War, and forced the resignation of Robert C. Schenck. "Ulysses S. Grant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Ulysses S. Grant." //Ulysses S. Grant//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. 