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=Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822-July 23, 1855) =  Republican Party Terms: 1869-1873, 1873-1877 Vice President: Schulyer Colfax (1869-1873), Henry Wilson (1873-1875), no Vice President (1875-1877)

Ulysses S. Grant became President during a difficult time for the U.S. He attempted to hold the country together, but his presidency was spoiled by scandal, and didn't have the best relationship with the nation. For his efforts, he deserves the grade of C as President, because he did an average job; nothing exceptional, but nothing terrible.

Grant's first goals as President were almost the same as Lincoln's, to try to keep the Union together. As well as keeping peace between the north and the south, Grant also worked hard for equal rights between the blacks and the whites. He passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and the Fifteenth Amendment, which both sought for the rights of blacks, to improve their lives and conditions.

The majority of congress during Grant's Presidency was Republican, so they had a fairly good relationship. He also chose his cabinet wisely, choosing based on people he could trust, and although his administration was remembered for its scandals, Grant was exceptionally loyal to the people who supported him, and because of this he was never personally blamed for any scandals, although the way he handled things changed him in the eyes of the people.

Grant's action that had the most positive outcome was his support of civil rights, mainly for blacks. With the passing of the Fifteenth Amendment, Grant stated that he would give them rights, and it didn't matter what had happened previously. Grant had to help with Reconstruction, and he incorporated that with improving people's lives, ones that didn't have rights before. He also passed the Enforcement Act, which further helped citizens with voting rights. There wasn't really one specific incident that could be named "the most negative action," but there were many scandals during his Presidency which could have been handled better. The Credit Mobilier Scandal and the Whiskey Ring were two major scandals which Grant handled poorly, and also showed how he didn't really have a handle on the people of the country.

The Fifteenth Amendment had a large impact on the future Presidents of our country. This helped the civil rights movement, and was the start of rights for many other minority groups. The Fifteenth Amendment helped a group of people which weren't really ever helped before, or recognized at all, and that showed that he was willing to shake things up in order to make them better.

The country was better off at the end of Grant's terms, but there were also things that got worse. The Fifteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act prove that Grant was willing to help the minorities who don't have a voice, but the constant scandal only proved Grant's inability to lead. Grant deserves a C because of the average job he did as President.

Bibliography: http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/grant/essays/biography/4 http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/grant/essays/biography/5 http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/UlyssesSGrant/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant