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 * Name:** Hiram Ulysses Grant, changed to Ulysses S. Grant when going to West Point
 * Birth date:** April 27, 1822 (Point Pleasant, Ohio)
 * Death date:** July 23, 1885 (Mount McGregor, New York)
 * Political Party:** Republican
 * Terms in Office:** The 18th president, 1869-1873, 1874-1877
 * Vice Presidents:** Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873), Henry Wilson (1873-1875)

Ulysses S. Grant was a great general, but a bad president. President Grant deserves a “C” for his terms of office. Even though his administration was plagued by scandal, he still accomplished a lot. He passed several laws that aided the struggling blacks and helped to patch the United States back together. Grant had several good accomplishments as president, but they are overshadowed by all of the scandal. At a first glance he deserves a worse grade, but once analyzed closely, Grant deserves a “C”. Grant’s main goal in his first term was to keep America safe while it was rebuilding itself. He accomplished this goal. A key event that helped achieve this goal was staying out of Cuba. Cuba was starting to fight the Spanish, but Grant kept the country away from it. Congress wanted him to sign a resolution acknowledging the rebels, he declined. Had he signed the resolution the U.S. would have been dragged into the fight, and it would not have been good in the country’s weakened state. Another goal that Grant had that was for both terms was to protect the newly freed blacks, and to stop the Confederate leaders from regaining control. To aid the blacks he proposed the 15th Amendment, it gave all men the right to vote. It was a massive leap forward in the rights of blacks. Most of Grant’s goals were achieved, if not, he came very close. Grant had a relatively good relationship with congress. He had the majority in both the House and the Senate. He did not pass much, but what he did pass was very effective. He passed legislation that gave him the power to use federal troops to ensure that the blacks were not prevented from voting. Some states did not allow them to vote, while in several states organizations such as the KKK intimidated the blacks into not voting. He passed legislation that suspended Habeus Corpus to help him eliminate threats. The most important act passed was the Resumption of Specie Act of 1875. It helped to bring the U.S. out of the depression of 1873. It withdrew the greenbacks from circulation making them have a higher value. Grant also had the 15th Amendment ratified giving blacks the right to vote. He had a good relationship with Congress and got what he wanted done. The Grant Administration had several very good, and very bad outcomes. The best thing that they did was to get the 15th Amendment ratified. The 15th Amendment gave the blacks the right to vote. It gave the Republican Party a lot of new votes, especially in the south. It gave blacks a chance at having an affect on policies that concerned them. They could vote for pro-black candidates. The worst outcomes were those of the various scandals that occurred during the Grant administration. Some of the scandals were Black Friday, Credit Mobilier, the Whiskey Ring, and the Belknap Bribery. All of these scandals ended up overshadowing all of the good that Grant’s administration achieved. The Grant administration had a significant impact on future presidents and society. The ratification of the 15th Amendment had a massive impact. It gave blacks the right to vote. It gave them a say in what goes on in government. It was a massive step in racial equality. It has affected every election since it was ratified. It increased the quality of living for the entire community. They could now defend themselves in government. The 15th amendment was Grant’s greatest contribution. The country was better off at the end of Grant’s presidency. The country was more united as a whole, and blacks had more rights. There were several great things that happened to the country during the Grant administration. He did a lot of good things as president, but most are overshadowed by all of the scandal that occurred during his presidency. Grant deserves a "C" for his presidency.

Works Cited "American President: Ulysses S. Grant ." //Miller// //Center// //of Public Affairs//. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <[] >. DeGregorio, William A., and Sandra Lee. Stuart. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. 7th ed. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade, 2009. Print. "Ulysses S. Grant." //The White House//. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <[] >. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Andrew Bailey, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. //The American Pageant: a History of the Republic//. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.