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= Ulysses S. Grant = April 27, 1822 -- July 23, 1885 Republican Terms: (2) 1869-1873 and 1873-1877 Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax (1) and Henry Wilson (2)

Grant's presidency was marked by a major growth in corruption within the government and his own cabinet and unfortunately due to that Grant is believed to be a lesser president. Even though his own election was based on popularity that he won in the Civil War, he was reelected for a second term and he stood up for equal rights in the south even after his own party split against him. Because even throughout the corruption he continued to keep the fragile country together Grant deserves a C+ for his presidency.

Grant ran the country similarly to how he ran the army but his main goals included granting the Native Americans rights, giving peace in the south for the freed slaves, and helping the economy by backing the greenbacks with gold. Grant felt that the Indians had a right to the land as they were the original settlers in America. He tried to help by trying to change the policy with the Peace Policy, set up the Board of Indian Commissioners, but these attempts fell short to changing the conditions for the Indians because the whites still pushed them aside and there was little availability for them to become farmers on the small reservations. Grant had a strong faith in the gold standard, but because of the Fisk and Gould scheme many investors lost money and Grant's reputation was greatly harmed.

During both terms of his presidency Grant had the majority in the Senate and also the House of Representatives, except for the last two years. The relationship between Congress and Grant was very positive as it created the 15th amendment which gave all blacks the right to vote. There was a lot of scandal in Congress though and that hindered what they could accomplish. There was the Credit Mobilier scandal where the big railroad companies bribed Congressmen, included Grant's vice president. There was also the scandal with the Whiskey Ring where Grant's own personal secretary was involved. This had a very negative impact on the reliability of the Grant administration. During his presidency Grant enacted the Civil Service Commission so the Congress members would be tested before allowed the job.

Grant's presidency did not produce anything extremely positive or negative, but the most positive thing that stood out was the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This stated that all people, no matter what race, were granted free and equal opportunities for employment. In order to be passed the part of the bill that included mixed-race schools was taken out, but this still gave those blacks in the south a chance for opportunity. The black community had been pushing for this Act for a long time, and even though it was very controversial it was a huge stepping point in a completely integrated United States. The most negative outcome of the presidency is the depression and the scandals. They left a huge print over any good that could have come from Grant because they affected the whole country. The depression led to a great loss in jobs and was caused mainly by the scandals that affected Grant's administration. The greatest scandals were the Credit Mobilier, the Whiskey Ring, and the Fisk and Gould scandal that created Black Friday.

Grant's terms left a lasting impression on the country but it was more for the corruption than the good that they did. The scandals left there mark, but Grant made great leaps towards racial equality and the start of the new industrialization. Because Grant was never corrupt and he led such strong initatives that would later lead to some very large country wide improvements, but never did anything that changed the country then he deserves a C+.

Bibliography:

"American President: Ulysses S. Grant: Domestic Affairs." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. .

"Civil Rights Act of 1875: Information from Answers.com." //Answers.com: Wiki Q&A combined with free online dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedias//. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. .

//The Complete Book of US Presidents//. XII ed. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.

"Ulysses S. Grant |." //The White House//. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. .