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Ulysses Grant Born: April 27th, 1822 Death: July 23rd, 1885 Terms: 1869 -1873, 1873-1877 Political Party: Republican Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson Theme: American Identity Rating: C Anyone who was a top war general for the Union during the Civil War will normally leave an impact on the opinions and thoughts of the American people. Ulysses S. Grant has earned a name as one of the more remembered presidents throughout history. Reasons for this are mostly based in the Civil War. Grant is well known for his actions on leading the North in a victory over the Confederacy. But he was only a general then. Most people would confuse Grant’s presidency with his acts as general before he was sworn into office. The American Identity in the North and the South changed when Grant was a general. However, as president he was not the most effective one the country has seen. He gave more of an identity to African Americans, along with Native Americans. But during his presidency there was another Panic which led to a extremely high rate of unemployment in the United States. This then caused a dramatic change in the identity of American citizens. Analysis: Being a war hero general in the Civil War made Ulysses S. Grant a perfect candidate for president. He was nominated by the conservative Republican Party because they believed that Grant would govern the country much like he led the Union army during the war. Grant proved to be quite successful in his actions during the war but those accomplishments did not really carry over into his terms as president. Grant should deserve a C for his role as president. Reasons for this grade result from the way that he interpreted reconstruction in the south, and accusations of militarism. However, Grant did manage to create a well rounded cabinet and sent in soldiers to protect blacks from racial groups like the Ku Klux Klan. He sort of coasted through his presidency. He was not the best president but by far not the worst. This is why a C is an appropriate grade for Grant. Going into his first term, Grant had very clear goals and expectations of himself. The number one goal that Grant wanted to achieve was to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave all citizens that right to vote, regardless of their race. Grant believed that everyone should have the opportunities. After trying to ratify the amendment, many southern whites were angered by his actions. To be able to further achieve his goals, Grant would send military protection to the African Americans living in the south at the time. Blacks took on great respect for Grant and there was less interference with terrorist groups, including the KKK. Grant was determined to follow in Lincoln’s footsteps and ideas of reunification. Grant entered office at a tough time in American history. The Civil War had just ended and there was much debate about reconstruction of the country. He had set out most of his goals around helping the African Americans. This later made him known as a misunderstood president. Being a general in the Union army, it would be assumption that Grant got along well with Congress. However, this was not the case in any way. Grant was constantly accused of militarism, which meant that instead of appointing members of the republican party who voted for him, he filled his cabinet with close friends and military officers who he knew he could trust. He chose members of his cabinet based on his military experience, not based on political values or interests. This of course upset other members of Congress and Grant lost some support to them. Grant himself never had received any political schooling or law studies. He was the types of man that was only respected when one got to know him. Members of Congress would infer that when Grant did not speak it was a sign of stupidity, but Grant was very soft spoken and only spoke if he had something relevant to say. So Congress as a whole did not have very good relations with Grant but members of his cabinet supported him as a leader very much. Among the many accomplishments of president Grant his actions towards human and civil right for African Americans was probably his greatest achievement. Grant had much passion for the black race and he thought that they deserved the same equal rights as the white men. The Naturalization Act was passed by Grant and it stated that any person of African decent could become a legal citizen of the United States. This was a huge impact for the African Americans living in the country. But, Grant also had a significant amount of negative impacts on the country during his two terms as president as well. During his second term, the depression that was going on in Europe spread to the United States, sending the country into another economic panic. High unemployment rates and a sloppy administration were the biggest setbacks for Grant. He was not able to deal with the issues of his scandals of his administration and this later cost Grant respect from his country. Grant’s accomplishment and dedication to creating civil rights for all citizens of the United States left an impact for future presidents and the country. Blacks had many more opportunities that they had not previously earned. Grant at times didn’t do as much as he could have, and some members of Congress swear that he cared too much about other issues that were not as important. Overall, the country learned from Grant’s accomplishments and failures. This then set examples for future presidents in determining their goals for the country. Grant left some good and some not so good impacts on the country as president but he will always be remembered as a successful war hero. America didn’t seem too effected by Grant’s presidency. Meaning, that there were pretty equal rights and wrongs during his presidency which led the United States to be where it is today. But, the country was probably better off after Grant left office. A C is the grade that Grant deserves because he created a huge impact on the outlook of citizenship and human rights. He may have had some struggles but doesn’t every president deal with bumps in the road during their presidency? Grant was by no means the worst president that the country has had, but there was still much more that Grant could have done to improve our country but didn’t. So a C is the most reasonable grade to give Ulysses Grant.

Works Cited: Junto Society. "United States Presidents ." //Junto Society//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. .

Miller Center. "American President: Ulysses Simpson Grant." //Miller Center//. Miller Center, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .

"Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency." //NSP History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. <www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/usg