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Ulysses S. Grant
Presidential
Accomplishments
U.S Grant officially ended his military
career when he resigned his commission
as general of the U.S. Army on March
4, 1869, the year he became President
of the United States. As the hero of
the Civil War, he was the popular choice
to lead the United States through the
problems that existed following the
war between the States.
The
American people hoped to end the nation's
turmoil when they elected Grant to office.
But many historians determined that
Grant did little to move the country
forward. Looking to Congress for direction,
he often seemed bewildered. One visitor
to the White House noted "a puzzled
pathos, as of a man with a problem before
him of which he does not understand
the terms." (Ulysses S. Grant Web site:
www.mscomm.com/~ulysses/)
After
his election, Grant even took part of
his army staff to the White House. He
led the government in much the same
way as he had led the army. Many felt
he had no real policy for Reconstruction,
and he just continued Congress' policy
of Radical Reconstruction, which was
the plan President Johnson enacted to
reconstruct the nation. As time went
on however, many people, including many
Republicans, began to see Grant's continuation
of stationing troops in the South as
militarism. This led to dissatisfaction
with the Republican Party. As more states
re-entered the Union, they began to
enact State governments led by Democrats.
During
his campaign for re-election in 1872,
Grant was attacked by Liberal Republican
reformers. His supporters in the Republican
Party became known proudly as "the Old
Guard." Winning a second term in office,
Grant allowed Radical Reconstruction
to run its course in the South, bolstering
it at times with military force.
Learn
more about U.S. Grant:
Life
Before the Presidency
The Hero of the
Civil War
Presidential Accomplishments
Grant: A Misunderstood
Leader
A Loving Family
Man
Life After the
Presidency
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