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President Ulysses Grant

Ulysses Grant


President Ulysses Grant:
Short biography of President Ulysses Grant and the key events during his presidency.

Life of President Ulysses Grant for kids - Fast Fact File
Ulysses S Grant (1822-1885), nicknamed the "Unconditional Surrender Grant", was the 18th American President and served in office from 1869-1877. The Presidency of Ulysses S Grant spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Reconstruction Era and the Gilded Age.

President Ulysses S Grant represented the Republican political party which influenced the domestic and foreign policies of his presidency. The administration of the military hero was marred by a series of scandals.

The major accomplishments and the famous, main events that occurred during the time that Ulysses S Grant was president included the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad (1869), the Black Friday Scandal (1869), the Credit Mobilier Scandal (1872), the Panic of 1873, the Whiskey Ring Scandal (1875) and the Belknap Bribery Scandal (1876). The famous Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) also occurred during his presidency. Ulysses S Grant died of cancer on July 23, 1885, aged 63. The next president was Rutherford Hayes.  

Birthday: April 27, 1822

Place of Birth: Illinois

Political Party: Republican 

Nickname: Unconditional Surrender Grant

Number: 18th President

Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson

Age at Inauguration: 46

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

Weight: 156 pounds

First Lady: Julia Grant

Religion: Methodist

Date of Death: July 23, 1885

Date of Ulysses S Grant Presidency: March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877

The Nickname of Ulysses S Grant: "Unconditional Surrender Grant"
The nickname of President Ulysses S Grant provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public during his presidency. The meaning of the Ulysses S Grant nickname "Unconditional Surrender Grant" refers to his response to terms offered in the 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson during the Civil War and his reply of "no terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted..."

Character and Personality Type of Ulysses S Grant
The character traits of President Ulysses S Grant can be described as modest, quiet, prudish, highly intelligent, superstitious, courteous and loyal. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for Ulysses S Grant is an ISFP (Introversion, Sensing, Feeling, Perception). A quiet, easygoing character with a a "live and let live" approach to life. A perfectionist, loyal to values and beliefs. Ulysses S Grant Personality type: Practical, action-oriented and considerate.

Accomplishments of Ulysses S Grant and the Famous Events during his Presidency
The accomplishments of Ulysses S Grant and the most famous events during his presidency are provided in
an interesting, short summary format detailed below.

The Jim Crow Laws
Summary of the Jim Crow Laws: The
Jim Crow Laws were enacted by Southern states, beginning in the late 1870's and early 1880s, that legalized segregation between African Americans and white people excluding African Americans from exercising their rights as citizens of the United States. The Jim Crow laws included restrictions on the rights of African Americans to vote, to find decent employment, use public facilities and schools.

Sharecropping and Tenant Farming
Summary of Sharecropping and Tenant Farming: Sharecropping and Tenant Farming system replaced slavery during the Reconstruction era. The landlords of the southern plantations owned the land, cabins, the tools and equipment, the animals and the seeds to grow the crops but the poverty stricken sharecroppers and tenant farmers owned nothing.

The 1871 Enforcement Acts
Summary of the Enforcement Acts: The 1871
Enforcement Acts including the Ku Klux Klan Act were passed to extend the  guarantees of the Constitution to all citizens and to protect African Americans from violence. The Enforcements Acts are also referred to as the 1871 Civil Rights Act or the Ku Klux Klan Act.

Civil Rights Act of 1875
Summary of the Civil Rights Act of 1875: The
Civil Rights Act of 1875 was an another step in the struggle for racial equality but was never enforced as the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1883.

Women's suffrage
Summary of Women's suffrage: The issue of Women's suffrage reached a high level of prominence when the 15th Amendment  was  ratified on February 3, 1870, granting the right to vote to former slaves, but not to women. Supporters
of women's suffrage were outraged and agitation by women for suffrage became increasingly vocal and more women's suffrage movements emerged.

Transcontinental Railroad
Summary of the Transcontinental Railroad: The 3,500 long
Transcontinental Railroad, full name the Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad, linked the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic in 1869. The building of the Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869 and was an extremely important transportation system enabling Westward Expansion across the nation.

The Molly Maguires
Summary of the Molly Maguires: The Molly Maguires were a militant, secret society established in 1877 by Irish coal miners in Pennsylvania. The goal of the Molly Maguires was to gain fair treatment and safer working conditions in the coal mining industry which led to a violent dispute with the coal companies called the 'Long Strike of 1875'.

Knights of Labor
Summary of the Knights of Labor: The Knights of Labor was established in 1869, led by Uriah S. Stephens, and was the first major American labor union.

The Panic of 1873
Summary of the Panic of 1873: The Panic of 1873 was a serious economic crisis that led to riots,
demonstrations, national strikes and civil unrest. The Panic of 1873 was sparked by the ruin of a banking firm called Jay Cook and Company. Other major banks collapsed due to over speculation during the reconstruction era, especially in relation to the railroads.

Grantism
Summary of Grantism: The Whiskey Ring, Black Friday, Credit Mobilier and the Belknap Bribery Scandals rocked the Grant administration.
There was never the slightest doubt as to the personal honesty of President Ulysses S Grant but the series of scandals grave rise to doubts about some of his decisions and his judgment in making various appointments.  The bribery, tax evasion and kickbacks in the Grant administration were referred to as Grantism.

1869 Black Friday Scandal
Summary of the Black Friday Scandal: The
Black Friday Scandal erupted in 1869 involving an attempt by two Wall Street speculators, Jay Gould and James Fisk, to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange.

1872 Credit Mobilier Scandal
Summary of the Credit Mobilier Scandal: The
Credit Mobilier Scandal broke in 1872 and centered on corruption by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier construction company.

1875 Whiskey Ring Scandal
Summary of the Whiskey Ring Scandal: The 1875
Whiskey Ring Scandal involved a conspiracy by distillers to avoid paying excise taxes on liquor

1876 Belknap Bribery Scandal
Summary of the Belknap Bribery Scandal: The
Belknap Bribery Scandal aka the Indian Ring, erupted in 1876 when the Secretary of War, William Belknap, was exposed for receiving bribes.

Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Summary of the Great Chicago Fire: The
Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was another famous event during the administration of President Grant. The Great Chicago Fire (October 8, 1871 - October 10, 1871) 300 people dead and over 100,000 people homeless causing $200 million dollars of damage and destruction.

Battle of Little Bighorn
Summary of the Battle of Little Bighorn: The
Battle of Little Bighorn took place on June 25 1876 in which the 7th Cavalry, led by General George Custer, were all killed by Native American Indians led by Chief Sitting Bull.

US American History
1866-1881: Reconstruction Era

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