Ulysses S. Grant

1. Ulysses S. Grant American Warrior, American President, American Hero

2. At the end of the Civil War, who was the most popular American ? • A) Abraham Lincoln • B) William Tecumseh Sherman • C) Ulysses S. Grant • D) Charles Sumner

3. Ulysses S. Grant!

4. Background Information • Born in Ohio; April 27, 1822 • Fought in the Mexican-American War • Commander of all U.S. Armies in the Civil War • 18th President of the United States: 1869-1877 • President during Reconstruction and a time of rapid industrialization • Died: July 23, 1885

5. Fun Facts • Ulysses S. Grant’s original name was Hiram Ulysses Grant (changed upon entering West Point) • Only one of two Presidents to attend West Point • Grant had a persistent drinking problem • Grant received the title of Commander of all U.S. Armies during the Civil War (first since George Washington) • Youngest President to assume office until Theodore Roosevelt (he was 46 years old) • As President, Grant was pulled over for a speeding violation on 16th Street in Washington D.C. (Grant paid the fine and walked home to the White House).

6. Election of 1868 • The election was essentially a referendum on Reconstruction • Democrats ran a campaign to fight back against Reconstruction • Grant ran as a Republican on a campaign of reconciliation • Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour, Governor of NY • Electoral Vote: 214-80 • Popular Vote: 52.7%-47.3%

7. Grant and Reconstruction • Grant wanted to preserve the rights the Civil War had won for African-Americans • He wanted to bring about the end of Reconstruction in a way that would reconcile the country and preserve the Union’s victories • Restore order in the South

8. Map of the South

9. Annexing Santo Domingo • Grant wanted to annex the modern day Dominican Republic • Wanted it to become a state and safe haven for African-Americans • Grant believed that it would… • allow blacks to escape from discrimination • convince whites to treat blacks better, so they could keep their labor • convince more Latin American countries to end slavery • Grant also believed it would help the economy • Defeated by Charles Sumner of MA in 1870

10. Ku Klux Klan—Confederate Terrorists • White Supremacist Secret Society • Led by a former confederate general named Nathaniel Bedford Forest • “Midnight Rides”—men dressed in white robes would attack black communities (and carpetbaggers) • Not only made up by “rednecks” but diverse demographics • Police officers • Firemen • Other respected men in society

11. Klan Cartoon to scare Carpetbaggers

12. Grant vs. the Klan • Enforcement Acts (or Ku Klux Klan Acts) • Passed 1870 and 1871 • Prohibited states from discriminating voters based on race • Gave the federal gov’t the power to prosecute violators • First time the federal gov’t could prosecute criminals under federal law • Authorized Grant to use the military to protect civil rights and suspend the right of habeas corpus • Grant used the acts against nine counties in South Carolina in October 1871 • By 1872, Grant had succeeded in ending the Klan

13. Grant vs. Louisiana • Jan. 1875, Democrats stormed the state assembly to install five white legislators in disputed seats • Grant sent Phil Sheridan with troops to New Orleans to forcibly remove the legislators and support the Republican state gov’t • Both the South and North responded in outrage. Saw it as an overreach of the federal gov’t • In the future, Grant would back down from using troops • Reconstruction was ending

14. Grant and Native Americans • "When I said ‘Let us have peace,’ I meant it. I want peace on the Plains as everywhere else." • Grant disagreed with former colleague William Tecumseh Sherman, who wanted a policy of extermination • He believed Native Americans were the original occupants and wanted them to be treated with respect • Grant supported the reservation system and wanted to give Native Americans citizen-status and provide them education • Unfortunately, Grant’s dreams were dashed by Western expansionists

15. Election of 1872 • Liberal Republicans split from the party in opposition to “Grantism” • Democrats joined them to nominate Horace Greeley from the New York Tribune • Grant won in one of the biggest landslides in American history • Electoral Vote: 286-66 • Popular Vote: 56%-44%

16. Scandals of the Grant Administration • Many scandals major and minor came to light during the campaign of 1872 • Crédit Mobilier • French company that used its power to seize fraudulent gov. contracts • Sold stock to high-profile Republicans to prevent an investigation • 1872—Congress did investigate • Haunts the Rep. Party for decades • “Whiskey Ring” • officials in the Treasury Department were cheating the gov. out of tax revenue • William W. Belknap, Secretary of War • accepted kickbacks to retain an Indian-post trader • “Grantism” came to represent corruption

17. The Panic of 1873 • Four-year depression • Caused by Jay Cooke and Company’s overinvestment in postwar railroad building • Derailed Reconstruction by moving focus toward the economy • Opened up the “Greenback” or Currency Question, which became a major issue in the last quarter of the 1800s • Specie Resumption Act of 1879—replaced greenbacks with currency pegged to gold, which helped creditors but hurt debtors

18. Alabama Claims • Alabama Claims—claim that England had violated neutrality laws by allowing ships to be built for the Confederacy in England and that they needed to pay for it • Solved by Hamilton Fish—U.S. Secretary of State under Grant • Treaty of Washington of 1871 • Britain expressed regret for what had happened • Resolved many disputes over international law

19. Grant’s Presidential Ranking

20. Sources Used • American History: A Survey by Alan Brinkley • American Experience: Ulysses S. Grant • American Experience: Reconstruction—The Second Civil War • C-SPAN—Presidential Rankings • Images: • Wikimedia • PBS