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Born April 27 1822 Died July 23 1885
Republican Two Terms (1869-1873) and (1873-1877) Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873) and Henry Wilson (1873-1875) (no vice president from 1875-1877) When it was time for a new president to take office after Andrew Johnson, many American citizens believed that a good general would in turn make a good president. General Ulysses S. Grant was clearly the most popular Northern general from the Civil War. Grant was not an experienced politician, however, he won the presidential race of 1869 by 134 electoral votes and 300,000 popular votes. If Grant and his administration were to be graded, they would receive a C. Grant's administration was cursed with corruption and scandals.

Grant clearly stated the goals of his presidency in both his First and Second Inaugural Addresses. In Grant's first Inaugural address, he realized that his administration would be dealing with conflicts that were not present before the Civil War, and it should be done without discrimination. Grant stated "It is desirable that they should be approached calmly, without prejudice, hate, or sectional pride, remember that the greatest good to the greatest number is the object to be attained". Grant devoted himself to securing laws including security of persons, property, freedom of religion, and political opinion throughout the whole country to the best of his efforts. During his Second Inaugural Address Grant stated that "The effects of the late civil strife have been to free the slave and make him a citizen. Yet he is not possessed of the civil rights which citizenship should carry with it. This is wrong, and should be corrected. To this correction I stand committed, so far as Executive influence can avail". This displayed Grant's goals of fighting for black's civil rights. Grant accomplished his goals. In 1871 he passed the Ku Klux Act, giving him the power to intervene with states having problems with the Klan. He also passed the Civil Rights Act in 1875, assuring blacks a number of rights.

Grant maintained an exceptional relationship with Congress. He vetoed over 90 bills, more than all of vetoes by previous presidents combined. However, congress had a Republican majority at the time, coinciding with Grant's party. Despite the number of bills that Grant vetoed, he got a lot done. He passed numerous bills that had a positive effect on America. Grant was a popular American figure at first because of he was a veteran of the Civil War. Overall, Grant did his best at keeping good relations with congress, however, his administration was corrupt. Congress obviously did not approve of their corruption, and it brought down his popularity down and also weakened his trust.

The Treaty of Washington in 1871 was the most positive outcome of Grant's administration. The United States and Great Britain submitted an international arbitration after the British made the CSS (Confederate States Ship) Alabama which did significant damage to American vessels. The arbitration panel met in Geneva in 1871 and gave the United States $15,500,000. This successful negotiation not only gave America its money back, but also reminded Great Britain that America was not going to tolerate being bullied around. The peaceful negotiations settled Americans who were ready to fight Britain over the dispute.

During both of Grant's terms, the corruptions and scandals of his administration were clearly the worst actions. The most notable scandal was in 1869 when James Fisk and Jay Gould set out buy massive amounts of gold to send the prices straight up. To safeguard their scheme, they hired the president's brother in law to persuade the White House not to dump federal gold reserves into the market. In a matter of four days, Fisk and Gould raised the price of gold $23.5. However, realizing that he had been fooled, Grant ordered the Treasury Secretary to sell off federal gold, ending the crisis. The Fisk and Gould scandal ruined a number of businesses and investors. During both of Grant's term, there was a total of four other major scandals in his administration. Although Grant was never a victim of the scandals and corruption of the time, his administration was terribly corrupt and led Americans to not trust the government.

The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment influenced the lives of all Americans to this day. The Amendment declared that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude". The influence of this Amendment to Americans was very apparent. Blacks, ex slaves, and any other races could vote. This was a huge milestone for civil rights. When groups like the Ku Klux Klan tried to take away black rights, Grant did not allow it and sent in federal troops to settle the dispute. The Fifteenth Amendment, without a doubt, influenced the lives of Americans for years to come.

Through Grant's eight years of presidency, the nation as a whole advanced and improved. His poor lack of judgment in his administration held him back, but he still made the right decisions for the country. Ulysses. S Grant deserves a C for improving America, but should not receive a higher grade because of his corrupt administration. Overall, Grant was highly criticized and was considered a better general than a president. Although some may dislike Grant, none can question his dedication to America after he first served the Union as a General during the American Civil War, and then took Presidential Office for eight years. **Bibliography** "American Experience | Ulysses S. Grant | People & Events | Rise of the Ku Klux Klan." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . "American President: Ulysses Simpson Grant." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. . DeGregorio, William A., and Sandra Lee. Stuart. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade, 2009. Print. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. //The American Pageant: a History of the Republic//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Print. "Ku Klux Klan." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Scaturro, Frank. "Ulysses S. Grant Interpretive Outline." 26 Oct. 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . "Ulysses S. Grant Papers (Library of Congress)." //Library of Congress Home//. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . "What Does CSS Stand For?" //Abbreviations.com//. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .