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Born Hiram Ulysses Grant, Changed to Ulysses Simpson Grant Date of Birth: April 27, 1822 Date of Death: July 23, 1885 Political Party: Republican Terms of Office: March 4, 1869-March 3, 1877 (two terms) Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873), Henry Wilson (1873-1875)

 Before his presidency, Ulysses S. Grant was an extremely popular and successful general from the Civil War. Americans had just been relieved of Andrew Johnson’s terrible authority, which turned them against professional politicians. Grant was elected under the notion that a great war hero would make a great president. However, they soon discovered that this was not necessarily the case.

Grant’s presidency is often remembered solely for its scandals and he is considered one of the worst presidents in American history. However, I disagree. Grant did indeed make mistakes in his presidency that he should be accountable for (Resumption Act, loyalty to appointees). But, I believe that Grant made honest efforts in patching up the country after the war, especially regarding his policies with blacks and Native Americans. He also successfully improved American-British relations through the Treaty of Washington. Many of the things that negatively mark his presidency were not directly in his control, such as the scandals and the Panic of 1873. Therefore, I rate Grant’s presidency with a C.

As president, Grant wanted to ensure the freedom of previous slaves and give them equal civil rights and citizenship. This was his goal because he wanted to recognize the triumphs of war, namely slavery, but his other intention was to keep the Republican party alive in the South through black voters. However, most of the country did not see blacks as equals and was against this, so Grant needed a way to give blacks their rights without losing the support of the rest of the country. This goal was both successful and unsuccessful. He worked diligently for black rights with the Enforcements Acts, which protected black voters, especially against the Ku Klux Klan. However, these acts were not very effective. He also passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 that gave blacks full and equal enjoyment of facilities, but it was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The 15th amendment eventually gave all American men the right to vote. In the election of 1872, Grant caused a group of Republicans, unhappy with his policies towards blacks and intervention in the South, to split from their party and call themselves the Liberal Republicans. Grant also supported Reconstruction in the South. His goal was somewhat successful because he occasionally sent federal troops to southern states to restore order, but also often ignored state conflicts. The South as a whole did not like Grant's policies and eventually, the rest of the country lost interest in Reconstruction.

Grant had an average relationship with Congress. His presidency took place during the “Gilded Age,” the period in which the Democratic and the Republican parties were balanced in power and neither held a majority in Congress for more than a few years. Therefore, Democratic and Republican congressional representation was almost equal during Grant’s terms. During his two terms, Grant vetoed a total of 93 bills. Grant was a hard money advocate and vetoed an inflation bill after the Panic of 1873 because he thought inflation was dangerous. He then convinced Congress to instead pass the Resumption Act, which allowed paper money to be redeemed for gold and hindered the American economy. He also vetoed several bills involving private relief and pensions.

Grant’s most successful action as president involved the Treaty of Washington in 1871. During the Civil War, some British citizens supported the South because of their cotton. They built Confederate warships for the South, such as the Alabama, which attacked and damaged Union ships. The United States wanted compensation from Britain for the damages inflicted on their ships. Grant knew that improving the American relationship with Britain was crucial. An international arbitration resulted in the Treaty of Washington, in which Britain agreed to pay the U.S. $15.5 million for damages. The ordeal ended up strengthening the relationship between America and Britain, as well as providing money for damages and making international arbitration more acceptable.

Grant’s worst action as president was the people he chose for his administration. He tended to choose people whom he had personal relations with and therefore ended up with few good politicians. Many members of his cabinet were accused of scandals throughout his administration, showing Grant’s bad judgment. For example, his Treasury Secretary William Richardson was convicted of keeping huge profits from collecting taxes and resigned; his War Secretary W. W. Belknap was accused of accepting kickbacks from traders at Indian posts; and when his personal secretary Babcock was involved in the Whiskey Ring, Grant pardoned him, even after telling his administration to let no guilty man escape. Though Grant was never personally involved with any of the scandals, he failed to properly rid his administration of the incompetent because of his personal loyalty to them. The scandals were what caused the Liberal Republican Party to form, whose main goal was to purify the Grant administration.

Grant’s lasting impact on the country revolved around his belief in social justice. All of his actions for the protection of blacks were honorable, though some of his actions were ignored by the South. He set the groundwork for further African American equality and suffrage. He also strongly believed in a new Native American policy, knows as the Peace Policy. Hoping it would push them one step closer to white civilization, he housed the Native Americans on reservations and helped them become farmers. The outcomes were not exactly beneficial for the Native Americans. Settlers still pushed them off the land and most were unsuccessful living as farmers. Still, it was a new approach to regarding Native Americans and Grant took a big step to better tolerance and respect of them, which affected their lives and the generations to come.

In conclusion, America did not change much after Grant’s presidency and was not necessarily better with or without him. The condition of the South had not improved much throughout the eight years. Though Grant took big steps towards social justice with the blacks and Native Americans, his actions were often ignored and had little impact. However, he set the groundwork for future administrations, particularly with his African American policies. Grant deserves a C as president because of his successes with the Treaty of Washington, social reforms, and his honorable intentions for reconstruction, but also his failures in reconstruction, economic policies, and the scams involving his administration.

Works Cited:

"American President: Ulysses S. Grant." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Web. 05 April. 2010. .

DeGregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee, N.J: Barricade, 2005.

"List of United States Presidential Vetoes." Wikipedi, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. .