Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
Vice President	Schuyler Colfax(1869–1873) Henry Wilson(1873–1875) None(1875–1877)
Cabinet	See list
Party	Republican
Election	1868 1872
Seat	White House
← Andrew Johnson Rutherford B. Hayes →
Seal of the president (1850–1894)

This article is part of a series about Ulysses S. Grant
Personal Early life and career birthplace Arrests Horsemanship Post-presidency World tour Personal Memoirs Death and state funeral American Civil War Campaigns Vicksburg Chattanooga Overland Petersburg Appomattox General Order No. 11 Commanding generalship 18th President of the United States Presidency Inaugurations first second Reconstruction Fifteenth Amendment Scandals Reforms Grantism Peace Policy Federal judge appointments Presidential campaigns 1868 election convention 1872 election convention 1880 convention Legacy Historical reputation Memorials Tomb Memorial Cultural depictions Bibliography
v t e

Ulysses S. Grant served as the 18thPresident of the United States from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877. ARepublican, Grant took office after winning the1868 election, and secured a second termin 1872. He presided over theReconstruction Era and the1876 U.S. Centennial.

By 1870, all formerConfederate states had been readmitted into the United States and were represented in Congress. However, Democrats and former slave owners refused to accept thatfreedmen had been granted citizenship by theFourteenth Amendment and suffrage by theFifteenth Amendment. This prompted Congress to pass threeForce Acts to allow the federal government to intervene when states failed to protect former slaves' rights. TheKu Klux Klan, formed in 1865, caused widespread violence throughout theSouthern United States againstAfrican Americans. President Grant and his Attorney GeneralAmos T. Akerman, who headed the newly createdDepartment of Justice, prosecuted Klan members after an escalation of Klan activity in the late 1860s. Grant was succeeded byRutherford B. Hayes, who won theelection of 1876.

Grant'scabinet choices were generally mixed, but he did have a few notable appointments, such as Secretary of StateHamilton Fish, U.S. Attorney GeneralAmos T. Akerman, and Seneca IndianEli Parker, who served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. However, Grant's two administrations wereplagued by numerous scandals, allegations of corruption, bribery, fraud, and cronyism. At times, Grant responded to corruption charges by appointing reformers to prosecute the notoriousWhiskey Ring. Additionally, Grant advanced the cause of civil service reform more than any president before him, creating America's first Civil Service Commission. In 1872, Grant signed into law anAct of Congress that establishedYellowstone National Park, the world's first national park.

The United States was at peace with the world throughout Grant's eight years in office, but his handling of foreign policy was uneven. Tensions withNative American tribes in the West continued. Under Secretary of StateHamilton Fish, theTreaty of Washington restored relations with Britain and resolved the contentiousAlabama Claims, while theVirginius Affair withSpain was settled peacefully. Grant attempted toannex the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo, but powerful SenatorCharles Sumner blocked the annexation. Grant's presidential reputation improved during the 21st century, largely due to his enforcement of civil rights for African Americans. In 1880, Grant's bid for the Republican presidential nomination was unsuccessful.

Ulysses S. Grant's rise in political popularity among Republicans was largely due to his successful military leadership that defeatedRobert E. Lee, as well as his significant break from PresidentAndrew Johnson.^[1] His nomination for president was unopposed. At the 1868 Republican Party Convention held in Chicago in May, delegates unanimously nominated Grant as their presidential candidate.House SpeakerSchuyler Colfax was chosen as the vice-presidential candidate.^[1]

The 1868 Republican Party platform advocated for theenfranchisement of African Americans in the South but left the issue open in the North. It opposed the use ofgreenbacks and promoted the use of gold to redeem U.S. bonds. The platform encouraged immigration and endorsed full rights fornaturalized citizens. Additionally, it favored a more radical reconstruction as distinct from the more lenient approaches supported by PresidentAndrew Johnson.^[2] In Grant's acceptance letter, he stated: "Let us have peace."^[3][a] These words became the popular mantra of the Republican Party.^[4] Grant won an overwhelmingElectoral College victory, receiving 214 votes compared to the 80 received by the Democratic nominee,Horatio Seymour. Grant also garnered 52.7 percent of the popular vote nationwide. Six southern states, controlled by Republicans, bolstered Grant's margin of victory, while many former Confederates remained barred from voting.^[5]

In his inaugural speech on March 4, 1869, Grant outlined four key priorities. Firstly, he emphasized his commitment to approachingReconstruction "calmly, without prejudice, hate, or sectional pride; remembering that the greatest good for the greatest number is the object to be obtained." Secondly, Grant delved into the nation's financial state, advocating "a return to a specie basis." Thirdly, he discussed foreign policy, emphasizing the importance of equal protection for Americans globally. Lastly, Grant expressed his support for the passage of the 15th Amendment, which granted Constitutional voting rights to blacks, including former slaves.^[6]

Grant'scabinet choices surprised the nation, as he respectfully listened to political advice but independently bypassed traditional consultations with prominent Republicans, keeping his selections secret.^[7][8] The initial cabinet nominations were met with both criticism and approval.^[9] Grant appointedElihu B. Washburne, Secretary of State, out of courtesy due to their friendship, but Washburne served only eleven days before resigning. A week later, Grant appointed Washburne as Minister to France and replaced him with the conservativeHamilton Fish, a former governor of New York.^[10] Grant initially appointed wealthy New York merchantAlexander T. Stewart as Secretary of the Treasury, but he was found to be disqualified by a federal law prohibiting anyone in the office from engaging in commerce. When Congress refused to amend the law, Grant appointed former Massachusetts CongressmanGeorge S. Boutwell to replace Stewart.^[11][b] For Secretary of War, Grant appointed his former Army chief of staffJohn A. Rawlins, who unfortunately died oftuberculosis in September 1869. Six weeks later, Grant appointed former Union Army GeneralWilliam W. Belknap to replace Rawlins.^[13]

For U.S. Attorney General, Grant appointedEbenezer Rockwood Hoar, an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.^[14] As for Secretary of Navy, Grant choseAdolph E. Borie a Philadelphia businessman. Borie resigned from his position on June 25, 1869, citing the stress of the job. One of Borie's notable achievements was the racial integration of the Washington Navy Yard. Grant then selectedGeorge M. Robeson, a former New Jersey public prosecutor, to take over the role.^[15] For Secretary of the Interior, Grant appointed former Ohio governor and senatorJacob D. Cox. For Postmaster General, Grant appointedJohn A.J. Creswell, a former U.S. Senator from Maryland. Creswell is credited with racially integrating the U.S. Post Office.^[16]

In March 1869, President Grant announced his desire to repeal theTenure of Office Act (1867), stating it was a "stride toward a revolution in our free system". The law prevented the president from removing executive officers without Senate approval. Grant believed it was a significant limitation on presidential power.^[17] To bolster the repeal effort, Grant decided not to make any new appointments except for vacancies until the law was overturned. On March 9, 1869, the House repealed the law completely, but the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the bill and only suggested a temporary suspension of the law. When Grant objected, the Senate Republican caucus convened and proposed that the president have full authority to select and dismiss his cabinet members. The Senate Judiciary Committee wrote the new bill. The House and Senate reached a muddled compromise. Grant signed the bill into law on April 5, having gotten virtually everything he wanted.^[18]

Grant worked to ensureratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, which was approved by Congress and sent to the states during the last days of the Johnson administration. The amendment prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen theright to vote based on that citizen's "race,color, or previous condition of servitude."^[19][20] On December 24, 1869, Grant established federal military rule in Georgia and restored black legislators who had been expelled from the state legislature.^[21][22][23] On February 3, 1870, the amendment reached the requisite number of state ratifications (then 27) and was certified as the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.^[19] Grant hailed its ratification as "a measure of grander importance than any other one act of the kind from the foundation of our free government to the present day".^[24] By mid-1870 former Confederate states: Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia had ratified the 15th Amendment and were readmitted to the Union.^[25]

On June 22, 1870, Grant signed a bill into law passed by Congress that created the Department of Justice and the Office ofSolicitor General, to aid the Attorney General. Grant appointedAmos T. Akerman as Attorney General andBenjamin H. Bristow as America's first Solicitor General. Both Akerman and Bristow used the Department of Justice to vigorously prosecuteKu Klux Klan members in the early 1870s. Grant appointedHiram C. Whitley as director of the new Secret Service Agency in 1869, after he had successfully arrested 12 Klansmen in Georgia who had murdered a leading local Republican official. Whitley used talented detectives who infiltrated and broke up KKK units in North Carolina and Alabama. However, they could not penetrate the main hotbed of KKK activity in upstate South Carolina. Grant sent in Army troops, but Whitley's agents learned they were lying low until the troops were withdrawn. Whitley warned Akerman, who convinced Grant to declare martial law and send in US marshals backed by federal troops to arrest 500 Klansmen; hundreds more fled the state, and hundreds of others surrendered in return for leniency.^[26][27]

In the first few years of Grant's first term in office, there were 1000 indictments against Klan members, with over 550 convictions from the Department of Justice. By 1871, there were 3000 indictments and 600 convictions, with most only serving brief sentences while the ringleaders were imprisoned for up to five years in the federal penitentiary inAlbany, New York. The result was a dramatic decrease in violence in the South. Akerman gave credit to Grant and told a friend that no one was "better" or "stronger" than Grant when it came to prosecuting terrorists.^[28] Akerman's successor,George H. Williams, in December 1871, continued to prosecute the Klan throughout 1872 until the Spring of 1873 during Grant's second term in office.^[29] Williams' clemency and moratorium on Klan prosecutions was due in part to the fact that the Justice Department, having been inundated by Klan outrage cases, did not have the effective manpower to continue the prosecutions.^[29]

On July 14, 1870, Grant signed into law theNaturalization Act of 1870 that allowed persons of African descent to become citizens of the United States. This revised an earlier law, theNaturalization Act of 1790, which only allowed white persons of good moral character to become U.S. citizens. The law also prosecuted persons who used fictitious names, misrepresentations, or identities of deceased individuals when applying for citizenship.^[30]

To enforce the 15th Amendment, Congress passed an act that guaranteed the protection of African Americans' voting rights; Grant signed the bill, known as theForce Act of 1870, into law on May 31, 1870. This law was designed to keep whiteRedeemers from attacking or threatening African Americans. This act placed severe penalties on persons who used intimidation, bribery, or physical assault to prevent citizens from voting and placed elections under Federal jurisdiction.^[31][32] The second Force Act of 1871 strengthened the voting rights of blacks in large cities throughout the South.^[32] However, violence against blacks in the South remained persistent.^[32] On January 13, 1871, Grant submitted to Congress a report on violent acts committed by theKu Klux Klan in the South.^[33] On March 23, Grant told a reluctant Congress the situation in the South was dire and federal legislation was needed that would "secure life, liberty, and property, and the enforcement of the law, in all parts of the United States."^[33] Grant stated that the U.S. mail and the collection of revenue were in jeopardy.^[33]

Having the support of President Grant, and having investigated the Klan's activities, Congress passed a third stronger act,The Ku Klux Klan Act in April, 1871.^[32] This law allowed the president to suspendhabeas corpus on "armed combinations" and conspiracies by the Klan. The Act also empowered the president "to arrest and break up disguised nightmarauders". The actions of the Klan were defined as high crimes and acts of rebellion against the United States.^[34][35] On October 12, 1871, Grant ordered the Ku Klux Klan to disperse from South Carolina and lay down their arms under the authority of the Enforcement Acts. On October 17, 1871, Grant issued a suspension of habeas corpus in all 9 counties in South Carolina. Grant ordered federal troops into the state, who then captured the Klan, which was vigorously prosecuted. Gen.Akerman and Sol. Gen.Bristow. However, other white supremacist groups emerged, including theWhite League and theRed Shirts.^[31]

Texas was readmitted into the Union on March 30, 1870,Mississippi was readmitted on February 23, 1870, andVirginia on January 26, 1870.Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted into the Union on July 15, 1870. All members of the House of Representatives and Senate were seated from the 10 Confederate states that seceded. Technically, the United States was again aunited country.^[36] To ease tensions, Grant signed the Amnesty Act of 1872 on May 23, 1872, which gave amnesty to former Confederates. This act allowed most former Confederates, who before the war had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, to hold elected public office. Only 500 former Confederates remained unpardonable and therefore forbidden to hold elected public office.^[37]

On taking office, Grant's first move was signing the Act to Strengthen the Public Credit, which the Republican Congress had just passed. It ensured that all public debts, particularly war bonds, would be paid only in gold rather than in greenbacks. The price of gold on the New York exchange fell to $130 per ounce – the lowest point since the suspension of specie payment in 1862.^[38]

On May 19, 1869, Grant protected the wages of those working for the U.S. Government. In 1868, a law was passed that reduced the government working day to 8 hours; however, much of the law was later repealed, allowing day wages to also be reduced. To protect workers, Grant signed an executive order that "no reduction shall be made in the wages" regardless of the reduction in hours for the government day workers.^[39]

Treasury SecretaryGeorge S. Boutwell reorganized and reformed theUnited States Treasury by discharging unnecessary employees, started sweeping changes inBureau of Engraving and Printing to protect the currency fromcounterfeiters, and revitalized tax collections to hasten the collection of revenue. These changes soon led the Treasury to have a monthly surplus.^[40] By May 1869, Boutwell reduced the national debt by $12 million. By September, the national debt was reduced by $50 million, which was achieved by selling the growing gold surplus at weekly auctions forgreenbacks and buying back wartime bonds with the currency. TheNew York Tribune wanted the government to buy more bonds and greenbacks, and theNew York Times praised the Grant administration's debt policy.^[40]

The New York gold conspiracy almost dismantled Grant's presidency.^[41] In September 1869, financial manipulatorsJay Gould andJim Fisk set up an elaborate scam to corner the New York gold market, buying up all the gold at the same time to drive up the price. The plan was to keep the Government from selling gold, thus driving its price. Grant and the Secretary of the TreasuryGeorge S. Boutwell found out about the gold market speculation and ordered the sale of $4 million in gold on (Black) Friday, September 23. Gould and Fisk were thwarted, and the price of gold dropped. The effects of releasing gold by Boutwell were disastrous. Stock prices plunged and food prices dropped, devastating farmers for years.^[42] Although the financial panic that followed was short-lived, the gold scandal overshadowed Grant's presidency.^[41]

Grant's first term foreign policy primarily focused on annexation and expansion, the opening of trade with Korea, and the settlement of theAlabama Claims with Great Britain. Besides Grant himself, the main players in foreign affairs were the Secretary of StateHamilton Fish and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, SenatorCharles Sumner. They had to cooperate to get a treaty ratified. Historians hold high regard for Secretary Fish's diplomatic professionalism, independence, and good judgment. Worldwide, it was a peaceful era, with no major wars directly affecting the United States.^[43] Secretary Fish was known to be a spokesman for caution and stability.^[44] Fish served as Secretary of State for nearly the entire two terms. Historians emphasize his judiciousness and efforts towards reform and diplomatic moderation.^[45][46] President Grant said he trusted Fish the most for political advice.^[47][c]

In May 1869, Grant initiated an attempted annexation of Santo Domingo (later known asDominican Republic).^[48] During the summer of 1869, Grant sentOrville E. Babcock to Santo Domingo to report on island conditions and to ask their presidentBuenaventura Báez for terms to buy the island.^[48] Babcock returned with the island nation's annexation proposals in mid-September, and Fish drafted annexation treaties. Báez signed the annexation treaties on November 19, 1869, which offered $1.5 million to the Dominican national debt, the annexation ofSanto Domingo as an American state, the United States's acquisition of the rights forSamaná Bay for 50 years with an annual $150,000 rental, and guaranteed protection from foreign intervention. On January 10, 1870, the Santo Domingo treaties were submitted to the Senate for ratification.^[49][50][51]

Grant believed that the island would be a strategic value to the Navy and sought to use it as a bargaining chip in domestic affairs. By providing a haven for the freedmen, he believed that the sudden exodus of black labor from the South would force Southern whites to accept black citizenship. Grant believed the island country would increase exports and lower the trade deficit. He hoped that U.S. ownership of the island would push Spain to abolish slavery in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and perhaps Brazil as well.^[50] On March 15, 1870, theForeign Relations Committee, headed by Sumner, recommended against the treaties' passage. Sumner believed that annexation would be enormously expensive, involve the U.S. in an ongoing civil war, and threaten the independence of Haiti and the West Indies, thereby blocking black political progress.^[52] On May 31, 1870, Grant went before Congress and urged passage of the Dominican annexation treaties,^[50] but Sumner led strong opposition in the Senate; a month later, it failed to pass the Senate.^[53][d]

To keep annexation relevant, Grant mentioned Santo Domingo in his December 1870 State of the Union Address. Congress created a special commission to investigate the island in January 1871, despite Senator Sumner's continued opposition.^[55] Grant appointed noted abolitionist and former slave,Frederick Douglass, secretary to the commission, and to offer his perspective on annexation.^[55][56] In March 1871, Grant had Sumner removed and replaced bySimon Cameron as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.^[56][e] The commission issued a report in April 1871, which stated the Dominican people desired annexation and that the island would be beneficial to the United States.^[55][f] Congress, however, refused to reconsider annexation.^[58]

The Cuban rebellion 1868–1878 against Spanish rule, called by historians the Ten Years' War, gained wide sympathy in the U.S. Juntas based in New York raised money, and smuggled men and munitions to Cuba, while energetically spreading propaganda in American newspapers. The Grant administration turned a blind eye to this violation of American neutrality.^[59] In 1869, Grant was urged by popular opinion to support rebels in Cuba with military assistance and to give them U.S. diplomatic recognition. Fish, however, wanted stability and favored the Spanish government, without publicly challenging the popular anti-Spanish American viewpoint. They reassured European governments that the U.S. did not want to annex Cuba. Grant and Fish gave lip service to Cuban independence, called for an end to slavery in Cuba, and quietly opposed American military intervention. Fish worked diligently against popular pressure and was able to keep Grant from officially recognizing Cuban independence because it would have endangered negotiations with Britain over theAlabama Claims.^[60]

Historians have generally lauded the Grant administration's settlement of theAlabama controversy, a great achievement that institutedinternational arbitration to settle international disputes.^[61] Grant's able Secretary of State Hamilton Fish had orchestrated many of the events leading up to the treaty. Previously, Secretary of StateWilliam H. Seward during the Johnson administration first proposed an initial treaty concerning damages done to American merchants by five Confederate warships ---CSSFlorida,CSSAlabama,CSSShenandoah,CSSLark, andCSSTallahasse, built by Britons.^[62] These damages were collectively known as theAlabama Claims. These ships had inflicted tremendous damage to U.S. shipping, as insurance rates soared, and shippers switched to British ships. SenatorCharles Sumner wanted the British to pay heavy damages, perhaps including turning over Canada.^[63] Later, the U.S. added theBritish blockade runners to the claims, stating that they were responsible for prolonging the war by two years by smuggling in weapons through theUnion blockade to the Confederacy.^[64][65]

In April 1869, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected President Johnson's proposed treaty that paid too little and contained no admission of British guilt for prolonging the war. Negotiations for a new treaty began in January 1871 when Britain sentSir John Rose to America to meet with Fish. A joint high commission was created on February 9, 1871, in Washington, consisting of representatives from both Britain and the United States. The commission created a treaty where an international tribunal would settle the damage amounts; the British admitted regret, not fault, over the destructive actions of the Confederate war cruisers, nor that charges of blockade running were included in the treaty. Grant approved and signed the treaty on May 8, 1871; the Senate ratified the Treaty of Washington on May 24, 1871.^[66][21] The Tribunal met on neutral territory in Geneva, Switzerland. The panel of five international arbitrators includedCharles Francis Adams, who was counseled byWilliam M. Evarts,Caleb Cushing, andMorrison R. Waite. On August 25, 1872, the Tribunal awarded the United States $15.5 million in gold; $1.9 million was awarded to Great Britain.^[67]

In 1871, the Grant administration sought to open Korea and the United States in a trade agreement.^[68] In May 1871, the U.S. Minister to China ordered a squadron of Navy ships to Seoul to pressure the Korean government to sign a trade treaty with the United States, similar to opening up trade with Japan in 1854, by CommodoreMatthew Perry.^[68][68] The Koreans resisted and sent a fleet of ships to block the entrance of the Han River to prevent the U.S. Navy from reaching Seoul. On May 30, 1871, Rear AdmiralJohn Rodgers with a fleet of five ships, part of theAsiatic Squadron, arrived at the mouth of the Salee River belowSeoul.^[68] The Koreans fired on the U.S. ships with little damage done. Rogers demanded an apology from the Koreans and open trade negotiations, but the Koreans refused to comply. On June 10, Rogers attacked and destroyed several Korean forts. This attack was called theBattle of Ganghwa, which resulted in 250 Koreans and three Americans killed.^[69][70][68] The Koreans still refused to negotiate, and the American fleet sailed away. The Koreans refer to this 1871 U.S. military action asShinmiyangyo. Grant defended Rogers in his third annual message to Congress in December 1871.^[69][68]

After the very bloody frontier wars in the 1860s, Grant sought to build a "peace policy" toward the tribes. He emphasized appointees who wanted peace and were favorable toward religious groups. In the end, however, the Western warfare grew worse.^[71] Grant declared in his 1869 Inaugural Address that he favored "any course toward them which tends to their civilization and ultimate citizenship."^[72] In a bold step, Grant appointed his aide GeneralEly S. Parker,Donehogawa (aSeneca), the first Native AmericanCommissioner of Indian Affairs. Parker met some opposition in the Senate until Attorney General Hoar said Parker was legally able to hold the office. The Senate confirmed Parker by a vote of 36 to 12.^[73] During Parker's tenure, Native wars dropped from 101 in 1869 to 58 in 1870.^[74]

Early on, Grant met with tribal chiefs of the Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Chickasaw nations who expressed interest in teaching "wild" Natives outside their own settled districts farming skills.^[75] Grant told the Native chiefs that American settlement would lead to inevitable conflict, but that the "march to civilization" would lead to pacification. On April 10, 1869, Congress created theBoard of Indian Commissioners. Grant appointed volunteer members who were "eminent for their intelligence and philanthropy." The Grant Board was given extensive joint power with Grant, Secretary of the Interior Cox, and the Interior Department to supervise theBureau of Indian Affairs and "civilize" Native Americans. No Natives were appointed to the committee, onlyEuropean Americans. The commission monitored purchases and began to inspect Native agencies. It attributed much of the trouble in Native country to the encroachment of whites. The board approved of the destruction of Native culture. The Natives were to be instructed in Christianity, agriculture, representative government, and assimilated on reservations.^[76]

On January 23, 1870, thePeace Policy was tested when Major Edward M. Baker senselessly slaughtered 173 Piegan Indians, mostly women and children, in theMarias Massacre. Public outcry increased when General Sheridan defended Baker's actions. On July 15, 1870, Grant signed Congressional legislation that barred military officers from holding either elected or appointed office or suffering dismissal from the Army. In December 1870, Grant submitted to Congress the names of the new appointees, most of whom were confirmed by the Senate.^[77][78][79]

Grant'sPeace policy received a boost when the Chief of the Oglala SiouxRed Cloud,Maȟpíya Lúta, and Brulé SiouxSpotted Tail,Siŋté Glešká, arrived in Washington, D.C., and met Grant at the White House for a bountiful state dinner on May 7, 1870. Red Cloud, at a previous meeting with Secretary Cox and Commissioner Parker, complained that promised rations and arms for hunting had not been delivered. Afterward, Grant and Cox lobbied Congress for the promised supplies and rations. Congress responded, and on July 15, 1870, Grant signed the Indian Appropriations Act into law, which appropriated the tribal monies. Two days after Spotted Tail urged the Grant administration to keep white settlers from invading Native reservation land, Grant ordered all Generals in the West to "keep intruders off by military force if necessary".^[80] In 1871, Grant signed another Indian Appropriations Act that ended the governmental policy of treating tribes as independent sovereign nations. Natives would be treated as individuals orwards of the state and Indian policies would be legislated by Congressional statutes.^[81]

At the core of thePeace Policy was placing the western reservations under the control of religious denominations. In 1872, the implementation of the policy involved the allotment of Indian reservations to religious organizations as exclusive religious domains. Of the 73 agencies assigned, theMethodists received fourteen; the OrthodoxFriends ten; thePresbyterians nine; theEpiscopalians eight; theRoman Catholics seven; the HicksiteFriends six; theBaptists five; theDutch Reformed five; theCongregationalists three;Christians two;Unitarians two;American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions one; andLutherans one. Infighting between competitive missionary groups over the distribution of agencies was detrimental to Grant'sPeace Policy.^[82] The selection criteria were vague, and some critics saw the Peace Policy as violating Native Americanfreedom of religion.^[83] In another setback, William Welsh, a prominent merchant, prosecuted the Bureau in a Congressional investigation over malfeasance. Although Parker was exonerated, legislation was passed in Congress that authorized the board to approve goods and services payments by vouchers from the Bureau. Parker resigned from office, and Grant replaced Parker with reformer Francis A. Walker.^[84]

On June 28, 1870, Grant approved and signed legislation that madeChristmas, on December 25, a legal federal public holiday in the national capital ofWashington, D.C.^[85][86][87] According to historian Ron White, Grant did this because of his passion to unify the nation.^[88] During the early 19th Century in the United States, Christmas became more of a family-centered activity.^[88] Other federal Holidays, included in the law within Washington, D.C., wereNew Year,Fourth of July, andThanksgiving.^[85][86][g]

In 1862, during theAmerican Civil War, President Lincoln signed into law theMorrill bill that outlawedpolygamy in all U.S. Territories. Mormons who practiced polygamy in Utah, for the most part, resisted the Morrill law and the territorial governor.^[89]: 301 During the 1868 election, Grant had mentioned he would enforce the law against polygamy. Tensions began as early as 1870, when Mormons in Ogden, Utah, began to arm themselves and practice military drilling.^[90] By the Fourth of July, 1871, Mormon militia in Salt Lake City, Utah were on the verge of fighting territorial troops; in the end, violence was averted.^[91] Grant, however, who believed Utah was in a state of rebellion was determined to arrest those who practiced polygamy outlawed under the Morrill Act.^[92] In October 1871 hundreds of Mormons were rounded up by U.S. marshals, put in a prison camp, arrested, and put on trial for polygamy. One convicted polygamist received a $500 fine and three years in prison under hard labor.^[93] On November 20, 1871, Mormon leaderBrigham Young, in ill health, had been charged with polygamy. Young's attorney stated that Young had no intention to flee the court. Other persons during the polygamy shutdown were charged with murder or intent to kill.^[94] The Morrill Act, however, proved hard to enforce since proof of marriage was required for conviction.^{[89]: 294 [h]}

In March 1873, anti-obscenity moralists, led byAnthony Comstock, secretary of theNew York Society for the Suppression of Vice, easily secured passage of theComstock Act, which made it a federal crime to mail articles "for any indecent or immoral use". Grant signed the bill after he was assured that Comstock would personally enforce it. Comstock went on to become a special agent of the Post Office appointed by SecretaryJames Cresswell. Comstock prosecuted pornographers, imprisoned abortionists, banned nude art, stopped the mailing of information about contraception, and tried to ban what he considered bad books.^[96]

During Grant's presidency, the earlyWomen's suffrage movement led bySusan B. Anthony andElizabeth Cady Stanton gained national attention. Anthony lobbied for female suffrage, equal gender pay, and protection of property for women who resided in Washington, D.C.^[97] In April 1869, Grant signed into law the protection of married women's property from their husbands' debts and the ability for women to sue in court in Washington, D.C.^[98] In March 1870 RepresentativeSamuel M. Arnell introduced a bill, coauthored by suffragistBennette Lockwood, that would give women federal workers equal pay for equal work.^[99] Two years later, Grant signed a modified Senate version of the Arnell Bill into law.^[99] The law required that all federal female clerks would be paid the fully compensated salary; however, lower-tiered female clerks were exempted.^[100] The law increased women's clerk salaries from 4% to 20% during the 1870s; however, the culture of patronage and patriarchy continued.^[100] To placate the burgeoningsuffragist movement, the Republicans' platform included that women's rights should be treated with "respectful consideration", while Grant advocated equal rights for all citizens.^[101]

On March 1, 1872, Grant played his role in signing the "Act of Dedication" into law, which established the Yellowstone region as the nation's first national park, made possible by three years of exploration by Cook-Folsom-Peterson (1869), Washburn-Langford-Doane (1870), and Hayden (1871). The 1872 Yellowstone Act prohibited fish and game, including buffalo, from "wanton destruction" within the confines of the park. However, Congress did not appropriate funds or legislation for the enforcement against poaching; as a result, Secretary Delano could not hire people to aid tourists or protect Yellowstone from encroachment.^[102][103] By the 1880s buffalo herds dwindled to only a few hundred, a majority found mostly in Yellowstone National Park. As the Indian wars ended, Congress appropriated money and enforcement legislation in 1894, signed into law by PresidentGrover Cleveland, that protected and preserved buffalo and other wildlife in Yellowstone.^[102] Grant also signed legislation that protected northern fur seals on Alaska's Pribilof Islands. This was the first law in U.S. history that specifically protected wildlife on federally owned land.^[104]

Grant was the first president to recommend a professional civil service. He pushed the initial legislation through Congress and appointed the members for the firstUnited States Civil Service Commission. The temporary Commission recommended administering competitive exams and issuing regulations on the hiring and promotion of government employees. Grant ordered their recommendations in effect in 1872, having lasted for two years until December 1874. At the New York Custom House, a port that took in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue, applicants for an entry position now had to pass a written civil service examination.Chester A. Arthur, who was appointed by Grant as New York Custom Collector, stated that the examinations excluded and deterred unfit persons from getting employment positions.^[105] However, Congress, in no mood to reform itself, denied any long-term reform by refusing to enact the necessary legislation to make the changes permanent. Historians have traditionally been divided on whetherpatronage, meaning appointments made without a merit system, should be labeled corruption.^[106] Grant used patronage to build his party and help his friends. He protected those whom he thought were the victims of injustice or attacks by his enemies, even if they were guilty.^[107] Grant believed in loyalty to his friends, as one writer called it the "Chivalry of Friendship".^[106]

Prior to the presidential election of 1872 two congressional and one Treasury Department investigations took place over corruption at the New York Custom House under Grant collector appointmentsMoses H. Grinnell and Thomas Murphy. Private warehouses were taking imported goods from the docks and charging shippers storage fees. Grant's friend, George K. Leet, allegedly ran an oppressive customhouse storage business, making excessive profits.^[108] Grant's third collector appointment,Chester A. Arthur, implemented Secretary of TreasuryGeorge S. Boutwell's reform to keep the goods protected on the docks rather than private storage.^[109]

In the early 1870s, during the Grant Administration, lucrative postal route contracts were given to local contractors on thePacific Coast and Southern regions of the United States. These were known asStar Routes because an asterisk was given on officialPost Office documents. These remote routes were hundreds of miles long and went to the most rural parts of the United States by horse and buggy. In obtaining these highly prized postal contracts, an intricate ring of bribery and straw bidding was set up in the Postal Contract office; the ring consisted of contractors, postal clerks, and various intermediary brokers. Straw bidding was at its highest practice whileJohn Creswell, Grant's 1869 appointment, wasPostmaster-General. An 1872 federal investigation into the matter exonerated Creswell, but he wascensured by the minority House report. A $40,000 bribe to the42nd Congress by one postal contractor had tainted the results of the investigation. In 1876, another congressional investigation under a Democratic House shut down the postal ring for a few years.^[110]

On March 3, 1873, Grant signed a law that authorized the president's salary to be increased from $25,000 a year to $50,000 a year and Congressmen's salaries to be increased by $2,500. Representatives also received a retroactive pay bonus for the previous two years of service. This was done in secret and attached to a general appropriations bill. Reforming newspapers quickly exposed the law and the bonus was repealed in January 1874. Grant missed an opportunity to veto the bill and to make a strong statement for good government.^[111][112]

As his first term entered its final year, Grant remained popular throughout the nation, despite accusations of corruption swirling around his administration. When Republicans gathered for their1872 national convention, he was unanimously nominated for a second term.Henry Wilson was selected as his running mate over scandal-tainted Vice President Schuyler Colfax. The party platform advocated for high tariffs and the continuation of Radical Reconstruction policies, which supported five military districts in the Southern states.^[113]

During Grant's first term, a significant number of Republicans had become completely disillusioned with the party. Weary of the scandals and opposed to several of Grant's policies, they split from the party to form theLiberal Republican Party. At the party's only national convention, held in May 1872New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley was nominated for president, andBenjamin Gratz Brown was nominated for vice president. They advocated civil service reform, a low tariff, and granting amnesty to former Confederate soldiers. They also wanted to end reconstruction and restore local self-government in the South.^[113]

The Democrats, who at this time had no strong candidate choice of their own, saw an opportunity to consolidate the anti-Grant vote and jumped on the Greeley bandwagon, reluctantly adopting Greeley and Brown as their nominees.^[114] It is the only time in American history when a major party endorsed the candidate of a third party.^[113]

While Grant, like incumbent presidents before him, did not campaign, an efficient party organization composed of thousands of patronage appointees did so on his behalf.Frederick Douglass supported Grant and reminded black voters that Grant had destroyed the violentKu Klux Klan.^[115][116] Greeley embarked on a five-state campaign tour in late September, during which he delivered nearly 200 speeches. His campaign was plagued by misstatements and embarrassing moments.^[117]

However, because of political infighting between Liberal Republicans and Democrats, and due to several campaign blunders, the physically ailing Greeley was no match for Grant, who won in a landslide. Grant won 286 of the 352 Electoral College votes and received 55.6 percent of the popular vote nationwide. The President's reelection victory also brought an overwhelming Republican majority into both houses of Congress. Heartbroken after a hard-fought political campaign, Greeley died a few weeks after the election. Out of respect for Greeley, Grant attended his funeral.^[114][117]

Thesecond inauguration of Ulysses Grant's presidency was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1873, commencing the second four-year term of his presidency. Subsequently, the inaugural ball ended early when the food froze. Departing from the White House, a parade escorted Grant down the newly paved Pennsylvania Avenue, which was all decorated with banners and flags, to the swearing-in ceremony in front of the Capitol building. Chief JusticeSalmon P. Chase administered the presidential oath of office. This was one of the coldest inaugurations in U.S. history, with the temperature at only 6 degrees at sunrise. After the swearing-in ceremony, the inaugural parade commenced down Pennsylvania Avenue. TheEvening Star observed. "The private stands and windows along the entire route were crowded to excess." The parade consisted of a variety of military units along with marching bands and civic organizations. The military units, in their fancy regalia, were the most noticeable. Altogether, there were approximately 12,000 marchers who participated, including several units of African American soldiers. At the inaugural ball, there were some 6,000 people in attendance. Great care was taken to ensure that Grant's inaugural ball would be in spacious quarters and would feature an elegant assortment of appetizers, food, and champagne. A large temporary wooden building was constructed at Judiciary Square to accommodate the event. Grant arrived around 11:30pm and the dancing began.^{[118][119][120]}

It was the only term of Henry Wilson as vice president. Vice President Henry Wilson died in office on November 22, 1875. Senator Thomas Ferry, pro tempore of the Senate, was next in the line of presidential succession, had Grant not finished his second term.^[121]

Grant was vigorous in his enforcement of the 14th and 15th amendments and prosecuted thousands of persons who violated African American civil rights; he used military force to put down political insurrections in Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.^[122] He proactively used military andJustice Department enforcement of civil rights laws and the protection of African Americans more than any other 19th-century president. He used his full powers to weaken theKu Klux Klan, reducing violence and intimidation in the South. He appointedJames Milton Turner as the first African American minister to a foreign nation.^[123] Grant's relationship withCharles Sumner, the leader in promoting civil rights, was shattered by the Senator's opposition to Grant's plan to acquire Santo Domingo by treaty. Grant retaliated, firing men Sumner had recommended and having allies strip Sumner of his chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee. Sumner joined the Liberal Republican movement in 1872 to fight Grant's reelection.^[124]

Conservative resistance to Republican state governments grew after the 1872 elections. With the destruction of the Klan in 1872, new secret paramilitary organizations arose in the Deep South. In Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Louisiana, theRed Shirts andWhite League operated openly and were better organized than the Ku Klux Klan. Their goals were to oust the Republicans, return Conservative whites to power, and use whatever illegal methods were needed to achieve them. Being loyal to his veterans, Grant remained determined that African Americans would receive protection.^[125]

After the November 4, 1872, election,Louisiana was a split state. In a controversial election, two candidates were claiming victory as governor. Violence was used to intimidate black Republicans. The fusionist party of Liberal Republicans and Democrats claimedJohn McEnery as the victor, while the Republicans claimed U.S. SenatorWilliam P. Kellogg. Two months later, each candidate was sworn in as governor on January 13, 1873. A federal judge ruled that Kellogg was the rightful winner of the election and ordered him and the Republican-based majority to be seated. The White League supported McEnery and prepared to use military force to remove Kellogg from office. Grant ordered troops to enforce the court order and protect Kellogg. On March 4, Federal troops under a flag of truce and Kellogg's state militia defeated McEnery's fusionist party's insurrection.^[126]

A dispute arose over who would be installed as judge and sheriff at theColfax courthouse inGrant Parish. Kellogg's two appointees had seized control of the courthouse on March 25 with the aid and protection of black state militia troops. Then, on April 13, White League forces attacked the courthouse and massacred 50 black militiamen who had been captured. A total of 105 blacks were killed trying to defend the Colfax courthouse for Governor Kellogg. On April 21, Grant sent in the U.S.19th Infantry Regiment to restore order. On May 22, Grant issued a new proclamation to restore order in Louisiana. On May 31, McEnery finally told his followers to obey "peremptory orders" of the President. The orders brought a brief peace to New Orleans and most of Louisiana, except, ironically,Grant Parish.^[127]

In the fall of 1872, the Republican party split in Arkansas and ran two candidates for governor,Elisha Baxter andJoseph Brooks. Massive fraud characterized the election, but Baxter was declared the winner and took office. Brooks never gave up; finally, in 1874, a local judge ruled Brooks was entitled to the office and swore him in. Both sides mobilized militia units, and rioting and fighting bloodied the streets. Speculation swirled as to who President Grant would side with – either Baxter or Brooks. Grant delayed, requesting a joint session of the Arkansas government to figure out peacefully who would be the Governor, but Baxter refused to participate. On May 15, 1874, Grant issued a proclamation declaring Baxter the legitimate Governor of Arkansas, and hostilities ceased.^[128][129] In the fall of 1874, the people of Arkansas voted out Baxter, and Republicans and theRedeemers came to power.^[130]

A few months later, in early 1875, Grant announced that Brooks had been legitimately elected back in 1872. Grant did not send in troops, and Brooks never regained office. Instead, Grant appointed him to the high-paying patronage job of US postmaster in Little Rock. Grant's legalistic approach did resolve the conflict peacefully, but it left the Republican Party in Arkansas in total disarray and further discredited Grant's reputation.^[131][132]

In August 1874, theVicksburg city government elected White reform party candidates consisting of Republicans and Democrats. They promised to lower city spending and taxes. Despite such intentions, the reform movement turned racist when the new White city officials went after the county government, which had a majority of African Americans. The White League threatened the life of and expelled Crosby, the blackWarren County Sheriff and tax collector. Crosby sought help from Republican GovernorAdelbert Ames to regain his position as sheriff. Governor Ames told him to take other African Americans and use force to retain his lawful position. At that time, Vicksburg had a population of 12,443, more than half of whom were African American.^[133] On December 7, 1874, Crosby and an African American militia approached Vicksburg. He had said that the Whites were "ruffians, barbarians, and politicalbanditti".^[133] A series of confrontations occurred against white paramilitary forces that resulted in the deaths of 29 African Americans and 2 Whites. The White militia retained control of the County Courthouse and jail.^[134]

On December 21, Grant issued a Presidential Proclamation for the people in Vicksburg to stop fighting. GeneralPhilip Sheridan, based in Louisiana for this regional territory, dispatched federal troops, who reinstated Crosby as sheriff and restored the peace. When questioned about the matter, Governor Ames denied that he had told Crosby to use the African American militia. On June 7, 1875, Crosby was shot in the head by a white deputy while drinking in a bar. He survived, but never fully recovered from his injuries. The origins of the shooting remained a mystery.^[133]

On September 14, 1874, theWhite League and Democratic militia took control of the state house at New Orleans, and the Republican GovernorWilliam P. Kellogg was forced to flee. Former Confederate GeneralJames A. Longstreet, with 3,000African American militia and 400 Metropolitan police, made a counterattack on the 8,000 White League troops. Consisting of former Confederate soldiers, the experienced White League troops routed Longstreet's army. On September 17, Grant sent in Federal troops, and they restored the government to Kellogg. During the following controversial election in November, passions rose high, and violence mixed with fraud was rampant; the state of affairs in New Orleans was becoming out of control. The results were that 53 Republicans and 53 Democrats were elected, with 5 remaining seats to be decided by the legislature.^[135][136]

Grant had been careful to watch the elections and secretly sentPhil Sheridan in to keep law and order in the state. Sheridan had arrived in New Orleans a few days before the January 4, 1875, legislature opening meeting. At the convention, the Democrats, again with military force, took control of the state building out of Republican hands. Initially, the Democrats were protected by federal troops under ColonelRégis de Trobriand, and the escaped Republicans were removed from the hallways of the state building. However, Governor Kellogg then requested that Trobriand reseat the Republicans. Trobriand returned to the Statehouse and used bayonets to force the Democrats out of the building. The Republicans then organized their own house with their own speakers, all being protected by the Federal Army. Sheridan, who had annexed the Department of the Gulf to his command at 9:00 p.m., claimed that the federal troops were neutral since they had also protected the Democrats earlier.^[135]

Throughout his presidency, Grant was continually concerned with the civil rights of all Americans, "irrespective of nationality, color, or religion."^[137][138] Grant had no role in writing the Civil Rights Act of 1875, but he did sign it a few days before the Republicans lost control of Congress. The new law was designed to allow everyone access to public eating establishments, hotels, and places of entertainment. This was done particularly to protect African Americans who were discriminated against across the United States. The bill was also passed in honor of SenatorCharles Sumner, who had previously attempted to pass a civil rights bill in 1872.^[139] In his sixth message to Congress, he summed up his own views, "While I remain Executive all the laws of Congress and the provisions of the Constitution ... will be enforced with rigor ... Treat the Negro as a citizen and a voter,as he is and must remain ... Then we shall have no complaint of sectional interference."^[31][i] The Civil Rights Act of 1875 proved to be a very little value to Blacks. The Justice Department and the federal judges generally refused to enforce it, and the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1883. Historian William Gillette calls it "an insignificant victory."^[141]

During the election year of 1876, South Carolina was in a state of rebellion against Republican governorDaniel H. Chamberlain. Conservatives were determined to win the election for ex-ConfederateWade Hampton through violence and intimidation. The Republicans went on to nominate Chamberlain for a second term. Hampton supporters, donning red shirts, disrupted Republican meetings with gunshots and yelling. Tensions became violent on July 8, 1876, when five African Americans were murdered atHamburg. The rifle clubs, wearing theirRed Shirts, were better armed than the blacks. South Carolina was ruled more by "mobocracy and bloodshed" than by Chamberlain's government.^[142]

Black militia fought back inCharleston on September 6, 1876, in what was known as the "King Street riot". The white militia assumed defensive positions out of concern over possible intervention from federal troops. Then, on September 19, the Red Shirts took offensive action by openly killing between 30 and 50 African Americans outsideEllenton. During the massacre, state representative Simon Coker was killed. On October 7, Governor Chamberlain declared martial law and told all the "rifle club" members to put down their weapons. In the meantime, Wade Hampton never ceased to remind Chamberlain that he did not rule South Carolina. Out of desperation, Chamberlain wrote to Grant and asked for federal intervention. The "Cainhoy riot" took place on October 15 when Republicans held a rally at "Brick Church" outsideCainhoy. Blacks and whites both opened fire; six whites and one black were killed. Grant, upset over the Ellenton and Cainhoy riots, finally declared a Presidential Proclamation on October 17, 1876, and ordered all persons, within 3 days, to cease their lawless activities and disperse to their homes. A total of 1,144 federal infantrymen were sent into South Carolina, and the violence stopped; election day was quiet. Both Hampton and Chamberlain claimed victory, and for a while, both acted as governor; Hampton took the office in 1877 after PresidentRutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops and after Chamberlain left the state.^[142]

Between 1868 and 1873, the American economy was robust, primarily caused by railroad building, manufacturing expansion, and thriving agricultural production. Financial debt, however, particularly in railroad investment, spread throughout both the private and federal sectors.^[143] The market began to break in July 1873 when the Brooklyn Trust Company went broke and closed. Secretary Richardson sold gold to pay for $14 million in federal bonds.^[144] Two months later, thePanic of 1873, collapsed the national economy. On September 17, the stock market crashed, followed by the New York Warehouse & Security Company, September 18, and theJay Cooke & Company, September 19, both going bankrupt. On September 19, Grant ordered SecretaryRichardson, Boutwell's replacement, to purchase $10 million in bonds. Richardson complied by using greenbacks to expand the money supply. On September 20, theNew York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closed for ten days. Traveling to New York, Grant met with Richardson to consult with bankers, who gave Grant conflicting financial advice.^[145]

Returning to Washington, Grant and Richardson sent millions of greenbacks from the treasury to New York to purchase bonds, stopping the purchases on September 24. By the beginning of January 1874, Richardson had issued a total of $26 million greenbacks from the Treasury reserve into the economy, relieving Wall Street, but not stopping the nationalLong Depression, which would last 5 years. Thousands of businesses, depressed daily wages by 25% for three years, and brought the unemployment rate up to 14%.^{[146][147][148]}

Grant and Richardson's mildly inflationary response to the Panic of 1873, encouraged Congress to pursue a more aggressive policy. The legality of releasing greenbacks was presumed to have been illegal. On April 14, 1874, Congress passed theInflation Bill that set the greenback maximum at $400,000 retroactively legalizing the $26 million reserve greenbacks earlier released by the Treasury. The bill released an additional $18 million ingreenbacks up to the original $400,000,000 amount. Going further, the bill authorized an additional $46 million in banknotes and raised their maximum to $400 million.^[149] Eastern bankers vigorously lobbied Grant to veto the bill because of their reliance on bonds and foreign investors who did business in gold. Most of Grant's cabinet favored the bill in order to secure a Republican election. Grant's conservative Secretary of StateHamilton Fish threatened to resign if Grant signed the bill. On April 22, 1874, after evaluating his own reasons for wanting to sign the bill, Grant unexpectedly vetoed the bill against the popular election strategy of theRepublican Party because he believed it would destroy the nation's credit.^[150][151]

Congress passed a compromise bill, that Grant signed on June 20, 1874. The act legalized the $26 million released by Richardson and set the maximum of greenbacks at $382 million. Up to $55 million in national banknotes would be redistributed from states with an excess to those states that had minimal amounts. The act did little to relieve the national economy^[152]

On January 14, 1875, Grant signed the Resumption of Specie Act, and he could not have been happier; he wrote a note to Congress congratulating members on the passage of the act. The legislation was drafted by Ohio Republican SenatorJohn Sherman. This act provided that paper money in circulation would be exchanged for gold specie and silver coins and would be effective January 1, 1879. The act also implemented that gradual steps would be taken to reduce the number of greenbacks in circulation. At that time, there was "paper coin" currency worth less than $1.00, and these would be exchanged for silver coins. Its effect was to stabilize the currency and make the consumer's money as "good as gold". In an age without aFederal Reserve system to control inflation, this act stabilized the economy. Grant considered it the hallmark of his administration.^[153][154]

Foreign affairs were managed peacefully during Grant's second term in office. Historians credit Secretary of StateHamilton Fish with a highly effective foreign policy. Ronald Cedric White says of Grant, "everyone agreed he chose well when he appointed Hamilton Fish secretary of state."^[155]

On October 31, 1873, a steamerVirginius, flying the American flag, carrying war materials and men to aid the Cuban insurrection (in violation of American and Spanish law), was intercepted and taken to Cuba. After a hasty trial, the local Spanish officials executed 53 would-be insurgents, eight of whom were United States citizens; orders from Madrid to delay the executions arrived too late. War scares erupted in both the U.S. and Spain, heightened by the bellicose dispatches from the American minister in Madrid, retired generalDaniel Sickles. Secretary of State Fish kept a cool demeanor in the crisis, and through investigation discovered there was a question over whether theVirginius ship had the right to bear the United States flag. The Spanish Republic's presidentEmilio Castelar expressed profound regret for the tragedy and was willing to make reparations through arbitration. Fish negotiated reparations with the Spanish minister Senor Polo de Barnabé. With Grant's approval, Spain was to surrenderVirginius, pay an indemnity to the surviving families of the Americans executed, and salute the American flag; the episode ended quietly.^[156]

Grant also played a pivotal role in the affair. Grant sent American warships off of Florida and discussed Cuban invasion plans with General Sherman and the War Department. The bluff worked, and the Spanish government accepted Grant's negotiated peace terms. Grant messaged Congress that the incident was closed and national honor was restored. However, the salute of the American flag by the Spanish Navy was a stickler. When the Spanish returned theVirginus the Spanish Navy did not salute the American flag, disputing that theVirginius was not an American-owned ship. The next day, Grant's Attorney GeneralGeorge H. Williams ruled that theVirginus U.S. ownership was fraudulent, but the Spanish had no right to capture the ship.^[157][158]

In December 1874, Grant held a state dinner at the White House for the King of Hawaii,David Kalakaua, who was seeking the importation of Hawaiian sugar duty-free to the United States.^[159] Grant and Fish were able to produce a successfulfree trade treaty in 1875 with theKingdom of Hawaii, incorporating the Pacific islands' sugar industry into the United States' economic sphere.^[159]

The U.S. settled the war betweenLiberia and the nativeGrebo people in 1876 by dispatching theUSS Alaska to Liberia.James Milton Turner, the first African American ambassador from the United States, requested that a warship be sent to protect American property in Liberia, a former American colony. AfterAlaska arrived, Turner negotiated the incorporation of the Grebo people into Liberian society and the ousting of foreign traders from Liberia.^[123]

At the close of Grant's second term in office, Fish had to contend with Indian raids on the Mexican border, due to a lack of law enforcement over the U.S.–Mexican border. The problem would escalate during the Hayes administration, under Fish's successorWilliam Evarts.^[160]

Under Grant'sPeace policy, wars between settlers, the federal army, and the American Indians had been decreasing from 101 per year in 1869 to a low of 15 per year in 1875.^[74] However, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of theDakota Territory and the completion of theNorthern Pacific Railway threatened to unravel Grant's Indian policy, as white settlers encroached upon native land to mine for gold.^[161] In 1874, Grant issued an executive order that shrank the size of the reservations of theBlackfeet,Gros Ventre,Sioux, andAssiniboine, in response to ranchers' demands for more land.^[162]In his second term of presidential office, Grant's fragilePeace policy came apart. Major GeneralEdward Canby was killed in theModoc War. Indian wars per year jumped up to 32 in 1876 and remained at 43 in 1877.^[74] One of the highest casualty Indian battles that took place in American history was at theBattle of Little Bighorn in 1876.^[163] Indian war casualties in Montana went from 5 in 1875, to 613 in 1876, and 436 in 1877.^[164]

In January 1873, Grant's Native American peace policy was challenged. Two weeks after Grant was elected for a second term, fighting broke out between theModocs and settlers near the California-Oregon border. The Modocs, led byCaptain Jack, killed 18 white settlers and then found a strong defensive position. Grant ordered General Sherman not to attack the Indians but to settle matters peacefully with a commission. Sherman then sent Major GeneralEdward Canby, but Captain Jack killed him. Reverend Eleazar Thomas, a Methodist minister, was also killed.Alfred B. Meacham, an Indian Agent, was severely wounded. The murders shocked the nation, and Sherman wired to have the Modocs exterminated. Grant overruled Sherman; Captain Jack was executed, and the remaining 155 Modocs were relocated to theQuapaw Agency in theIndian Territory. This episode and theGreat Sioux War undermined public confidence in Grant's peace policy, according to historianRobert M. Utley.^[165][166] During the peace negotiations between Brig. Gen.Edward Canby and the Modoc tribal leaders, there were more Indians in the tent than had been agreed upon. As the Indians grew more hostile, Captain Jack said, "I talk no more," and shouted, "All ready." Captain Jack drew his revolver and fired directly into the head of Gen Canby. Brig. Gen Canby was the highest-ranking officer to be killed during the Indian Wars that took place from 1850 to 1890. Alfred Meacham, who survived the massacre, defended the Modocs who were put on trial.^[167]

In 1874, war erupted on the southern Plains whenQuanah Parker, leader of theComanche, led 700 tribal warriors and attacked the buffalo hunter supply base on the Canadian River, atAdobe Walls, Texas. The Army under GeneralPhil Sheridan launched a military campaign, and, with few casualties on either side, forced the Indians back to their reservations by destroying their horses and winter food supplies. Grant, who agreed to the Army plan advocated by GeneralsWilliam T. Sherman and Phil Sheridan, imprisoned 74 insurgents in Florida.^[168]

In 1874, gold had been discovered in theBlack Hills in theDakota Territory. White speculators and settlers rushed in droves seeking riches, mining gold on land reserved for theSioux tribe by theTreaty of Fort Laramie of 1868. These prospectors treated the natives unfairly when they moved into the area. In 1875, to avoid conflict, Grant met withRed Cloud, chief of the Sioux, and offered $25,000 from the government to purchase the land. The offer was declined. On November 3, 1875, at a White House meeting,Phil Sheridan told the President that the Army was overstretched and could not defend the Sioux tribe from the settlers; Grant ordered Sheridan to round up the Sioux and put them on the reservation. Sheridan used a strategy of convergence, using Army columns to force the Sioux onto the reservation. On June 25, 1876, one of these columns, led by ColonelGeorge A. Custer, met the Sioux at the Battle of Little Big Horn and part of his command was slaughtered. Approximately 253 federal soldiers and civilians were killed compared to 40 Indians.^[169]

Custer's death and the Battle of Little Big Horn shocked the nation. Sheridan avenged Custer, pacified the northern Plains, and put the defeated Sioux on the reservation.^[170] On August 15, 1876, President Grant signed a proviso giving the Sioux nation $1,000,000 in rations, while the Sioux relinquished all rights to the Black Hills, except for a 40-mile land tract west of the 103rd meridian. On August 28, a seven-man committee appointed by Grant gave additional harsh stipulations for the Sioux to receive government assistance.Halfbreeds and "squaw men" (A white man with an Indian wife) were banished from the Sioux reservation. To receive the government rations, the Indians had to work the land. Reluctantly, on September 20, the Indian leaders, whose people were starving, agreed to the committee's demands and signed the agreement.^[171]

During the Great Sioux War, Grant came into conflict with Col.George Armstrong Custer after he testified in 1876 about corruption in the War Department under SecretaryWilliam W. Belknap (see below).^[172] Grant had Custer arrested for breach of military protocol in Chicago and barred him from leading an upcoming campaign against the Sioux.^[173] Grant finally relented and let Custer fight under Brig. Gen.Alfred Terry.^[174] Two months after Custer's death, Grant castigated him in the press, saying, "I regard Custer's massacre as a sacrifice of troops, brought on by Custer himself, that was wholly unnecessary – wholly unnecessary."^[175] As the nation was shocked by the death of Custer, Grant's peace policy became militaristic; Congress appropriated funds for 2,500 more troops, two more forts were constructed, the army took over the Indian agencies, and Indians were barred from purchasing rifles and ammunition.^[176]

Grant believed strongly in the separation of church and state and championed completesecularization in public schools. In a September 1875 speech, Grant advocated "security offree thought,free speech, andfree press, pure morals, unfettered religious sentiments, and of equal rights and privileges to all men, irrespective of nationality, color, or religion." In regard to public education, Grant endorsed that every child should receive "the opportunity of a good common school education, unmixed with sectarian, pagan, or atheist tenets. Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private schools... Keep the church and the state forever separate."^{[137][138][177]} In a speech in 1875 to a veteran's meeting, Grant called for a Constitutional amendment that would mandate free public schools and prohibit the use of public money for sectarian schools. He was echoing nativist sentiments that were strong in his Republican Party.^[178][j]

Grant laid out his agenda for "good common school education". He attacked government support for "sectarian schools" run by religious organizations and called for the defense of public education "unmixed with sectarian, pagan or atheistical dogmas." Grant declared that "Church and State" should be "forever separate." Religion, he said, should be left to families, churches, and private schools devoid of public funds.^[180] After Grant's speech Republican CongressmanJames G. Blaine proposed the amendment to the federal Constitution. Blaine believed that possibility of hurtful agitation on the school question should be ended. In 1875, the proposed amendment passed by a vote of 180 to 7 in the House of Representatives, but failed by four votes to achieve the necessary two-thirds vote in the Senate. Nothing like it ever became federal legislation. However, many states did adopt similar amendments to their state constitution.^[181]

In October 1875, Grant traveled to Utah and was surprised that the Mormons treated him kindly. He told the Utah territorial governor,George W. Emery, that he had been deceived concerning the Mormons.^[92] However, on December 7, 1875, after his return to Washington, Grant wrote to Congress in his seventh annual State of the Union address that as "an institution polygamy should be banished from the land…"^[182]Grant believed that polygamy negatively affected children and women. Grant advocated that a second law, stronger than the Morrill Act, be passed to "punish so flagrant a crime againstdecency andmorality."^[183] Grant also denounced the immigration of Chinese women into the United States for the purposes ofprostitution, saying that it was "no less an evil" than polygamy.^[183]

Grant publicly stated regret for his offensive wartime order expelling Jewish traders. In his army days, he traded at a local store operated by the Seligman brothers, two Jewish merchants who became Grant's lifelong friends. Theybecame wealthy bankers who donated substantially to Grant's presidential campaign.^[184] After the wartime order, however, the Jewish community was angry with Grant. While running for president, in 1868, Grant publicly apologized for the expulsion order, and once elected, he took actions intended to make amends. He appointed several Jewish leaders to office, includingSimon Wolf recorder of deeds in Washington, D.C., andEdward S. Salomon Governor of theWashington Territory.^[185]

As the 1874 midterm elections approached, three scandals, theCrédit Mobilier, theSalary Grab, and theSanborn incident caused the public to view the Republican Party as mired in corruption. The Democratic Party held the Republican Party responsible for theLong Depression. The Republicans were divided on the currency issue. Grant, who with hard money Northeastern Republicans, vetoed an inflation bill. Grant was blamed for the nation's problems, while he was accused of wanting a third term. Grant never officially campaigned, but traveled West, to emphasize his relatively popular Indian policy.^[186]

The October elections swept the Republicans from office and was a reputation of Grant's veto.^[187] In Indiana and Ohio, the Republicans suffered losses, caused by the money issue and thetemperance movement.^[188] The Democratic Party won the New York governorship forSamuel Tilden. The Democrats won the U.S. House, gaining 182 seats, while the Republicans retained 103 seats. The Republicans retained control of the Senate, but the new class included 14 Democrats and 11 Republicans.^[189] The Democratic Party also had strong victories in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Illinois.^[187]

In the South, the 1874 election campaign was violent. Six Republican office holders were murdered inCoushatta, Louisiana. On September 14, General Longstreet, police, and black militia fought 3,500 White Leaguers who attempted to capture the statehouse in New Orleans, that ended with 32 people killed. Grant issued a dispersal proclamation, the next day, and sent 5,000 troops and 5 gunboats toNew Orleans. TheWhite League resistance collapsed. The North disapproved of Grant's federal intervention into the election.^[190] Republican representation dropped by 60 percent.^[189] Racism in both the North and South caused the rejection of Reconstruction.^[191] In his December 1874 annual message to Congress, Grant condemned violence against blacks in the South.^[192]

Scandals and frauds continued to be exposed during Grant's second term in office, although Grant's appointments of reformers to his cabinet temporarily helped his presidential reputation, cleaned up federal departments, and defeated the notoriousWhiskey Ring. Grant, however, often remained loyal to cabinet members or appointees involved in corruption or mismanagement, refusing to believe in their guilt. The Democrats along with the Liberal Republicans had gained control of the House of Representatives and held many Committee meetings to stop political graft. The Emma Silver mine was a minor embarrassment associated with American Ambassador to Britain,Robert C. Schenck, using his name to promote a worked out silver mine. The Crédit Mobilier scandal's origins were during the presidential Administrations of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson; however, political congressional infighting during the Grant Administration exposed the scandal.^[193]

In June 1874, Treasury SecretaryWilliam A. Richardson gave private contracts to one John D. Sanborn who in turn collected illegally withheld taxes for fees at inflated commissions. The profits from the commissions were allegedly split with Richardson and SenatorBenjamin Butler, while Sanborn claimed these payments were "expenses". Senator Butler had written a loophole in the law that allowed Sanborn to collect the commissions, but Sanborn would not reveal whom he split the profits with.^[194]

In April 1875, it was discovered that Attorney GeneralGeorge H. Williams allegedly received a bribe through a $30,000 gift to his wife from a Merchant house company, Pratt & Boyd, to drop the case for fraudulent customs entries. Williams was forced to resign by Grant in 1875.^[40]

By 1875, the Department of the Interior under Secretary of the InteriorColumbus Delano was in serious disrepair with corruption and fraud. Profiteering prevailed in theBureau of Indian Affairs, controlled by corrupt clerks and bogus agents. This proved to be the most serious detriment to Grant's Indian peace policy. Many agents that worked for the department made unscrupulous fortunes and retired with more money than their pay would allow at the expense and exploitation ofNative Americans. Delano had allowed "Indian Attorneys" who tricked Native Americans into paying $8 a day for fraudulent representation in Washington.^[195]

Delano's son, John Delano, and Ulysses S. Grant's own brother, Orvil Grant, were discovered to have been awarded lucrative, corrupt cartographical contracts by Surveyor General Silas Reed. Neither John Delano nor Orvil Grant performed any work, nor were they qualified to hold such surveying positions. Massive fraud was also found in the Patent Office with corrupt clerks who embezzled from the government payroll.^[196] Under increasing pressure by the press and Indian reformers, Delano resigned from office on October 15, 1875. Grant appointedZachariah Chandler as Secretary of the Interior, who replaced Delano. Chandler vigorously uncovered and cleaned up the fraud in the department by firing all the clerks and banning the phony "Indian Attorneys" access to Washington. Grant's "Quaker" or church appointments partially made up for the lack of food staples and housing from the government.^[197][198] Chandler cleaned up the Patent Office by firing all the corrupt clerks.^{[199][200][197]}

Grant's second term anti-corruption team

Benjamin Bristow

Edwards Pierrepont

Grant's presidency is often criticized for scandals, though Grant also appointed many reformers. In May 1875, Secretary of the TreasuryBenjamin H. Bristow discovered that millions of dollars of taxes were being funneled into an illegal ring from whiskey manufacturers. Prosecutions ensued, and many were put in prison. Grant's private SecretaryOrville E. Babcock was indicted and later acquitted in a trial.^[201] Grant's new Attorney GeneralEdwards Pierrepont and Bristow formed an anti-corruption team to weed out criminal activity during Grant's second term. The Whiskey Ring was organized throughout the United States, and by 1875, it was a fully operating criminal association. The investigation and closure of the Whiskey Ring resulted in 230 indictments, 110 convictions, and $3,000,000 in tax revenues that were returned to the Treasury Department.

Bristow and Pierrpont brought evidence to Grant of Babcock's involvement. Grant asked Babcock, with Bristow and Pierrepont in attendance at the White House, about the evidence. Babcock gave Grant an explanation that the evidence did not concern the Ring, and Grant quietly accepted Babcock's words at face value. During the prosecution of the Whiskey Ring leaders, Grant testified on behalf of his friend Babcock. As a result, Babcock was acquitted. However, the deposition by Grant was a great embarrassment to his reputation. The Babcock trial turned into an impeachment trial against the President by Grant's political opponents.^[202][203]

In March 1876, it was discovered under House investigations that Secretary of WarWilliam W. Belknap was taking extortion money in exchange for allowing an Indian trading post agent to remain in position atFort Sill. Belknap was allowed to resign by Grant and, as a result, was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial. Profits were made at the expense of Native Americans, who were supposed to receive food and clothing from the government.^[204] In late April 1876, Grant lashed out at Lieut. Col.George A. Custer, after Custer had testified at a Congressional committee one month before against Grant's brother Orville and Sec. Belknap.^[205] It was rumored that Custer had authored an article for the New YorkHerald titled, "Belknap's Anaconda", concerning Belknap and Indian post profiteering.^[206] Custer personally went to the White House to clear matters up with the President. However, Grant refused to see him three times. When Custer left Washington on May 3 to return to Fort Lincoln, he had been removed from overall command by Grant and denied any participation in theSioux Campaign; having been replaced by Brig. Gen.Alfred Terry. However, at Terry's insistence, Grant relented and allowed Custer to participate in the campaign against the Sioux on the condition that he did not talk to any pressmen.^[207]

In March 1876, Secretary of NavyGeorge M. Robeson was charged by a Democratic-controlled House investigation committee with giving lucrative contracts to Alexander Cattell & Company, a grain supplier, in return for real estate, loans, and payment of debts.^[208] The House investigating committee also discovered that Secretary Robeson had allegedly embezzled $15 million in naval construction appropriations.^[209] Since there were no financial paper trails or enough evidence for impeachment and conviction, the House Investigation committee admonished Robeson and claimed he had set up a corrupt contracting system known as "Cattellism".^[210]

In September 1876,Orville E. Babcock, Superintendent of Public Works and Buildings, was indicted in a safeburglaryconspiracy case and trial. In April, corrupt building contractors in Washington, D.C., were on trial for graft when a safe robbery occurred. Bogus secret service agents broke into a safe and attempted to frame Columbus Alexander, who had exposed the corrupt contracting ring. Babcock was named as part of the conspiracy, but lateracquitted in the trial against the burglars. Evidence suggests that Backcock was involved with theswindles by the corrupt Washington Contractors Ring, and he wanted revenge on Columbus Alexander, an avid reformer and critic of the Grant Administration. There was also evidence that the safe burglary jury had been tampered with.^[211]

On the morning of May 10, 1876, theCentennial Exposition opened at Philadelphia's Fairmont Park. Thousands were in attendance on the Philadelphia streets. Grant rose to speak, saying the Exposition would "show in the direction of rivaling older and more advanced nations in law, medicine, and theology --- in science literature, philosophy, and the fine arts."^[212]

In thepresidential election of 1876, the Republicans nominated the fiscally conservativeRutherford B. Hayes and the Democrats nominated reformerSamuel Tilden. Results were split. Tilden received 51% of the popular vote; Hayes 48%; many black Republicans were not allowed to vote, however. Twenty key electoral votes remained undecided and in dispute. Both Republicans and Democrats claimed victory, and the threat of a second civil war was imminent. Grant was watchful, encouraged Congress to settle the election by commission, and determined to keep apeaceful transfer of power. On January 29, 1877, Grant signed theElectoral Commission Act that gave a 15-member bipartisan commission the power to determine electoral votes. The commission gave Hayes 185 electoral votes; Tilden received 184. Grant's personal honesty, firmness, and even-handedness reassured the nation, and a second civil war was averted.^[213][214]

At the 1880 Republican Convention held inChicago, Grant's Republican delegates, known as the306, attempted to nominate Grant as the Republican nominee to run for a third presidential term. However, on the thirty-sixth ballot, the Republicans nominated Ohio CongressmanJames Garfield, with 399 votes. Grant, himself, did not attend the Convention in person.^[215]

Grant's presidency has traditionally been viewed by historians as incompetent and full of corruption. An examination of his presidency reveals that Grant had both successes and failures during his two terms in office. In recent years, historians have elevated his presidential rating because he supportedAfrican American civil rights. Grant had urged the passing of the 15th Amendment and signed into law the Civil Rights Bill of 1875 that gave all citizens access to places of public enterprise. He leaned heavily toward the Radical camp and often sided with their Reconstruction policies, signing into law the Force Acts to prosecute theKu Klux Klan. In foreign policy, Grant won praise for the Treaty of Washington, settling theAlabama Claims issue with Britain througharbitration. Economically he sided with Eastern bankers and signed the Public Credit Act that paid U.S. debts in gold specie but was blamed for the severe economic depression that lasted 1873–1877.^[216] Grant, wary of powerful congressional leaders, was the first president to ask for aline item veto – though Congress never allowed one.^[217]

Grant's presidency, however, was inundated with many scandals caused by low standards and carelessness with his political appointees and personal associates.Nepotism, practiced by Grant, was unrestrained, with almost forty family members or relatives who financially benefited from government appointments or employment.^[199] His associations with these scandals have tarnished his reputation while president and afterward. Despite the scandals, by the end of Grant's second term, the corruption in the Departments of Interior (1875), Treasury (1874), and Justice (1875) was cleaned up by his new cabinet members.^[218] In the 21st Century, Grant's reputation and ranking had significantly increased, that followed a series of positive biographies written by noted historians, that includedJean Edward Smith,Grant,^[40]H.W. Brands,The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace^[219] and most recentlyRonald C. White,American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant.^[220] Historian Joan Waugh said Grant took steps where a few other presidents attempted "in the areas of Native American policy, civil service reform, and African American rights."^[221] Waugh said Grant "executed a successful foreign policy and was responsible for improving Anglo-American relations."^[221] Interest in his presidency has also increased by historians, that includedJosiah H Bunting III,Ulysses S. Grant: The American Presidents Series: The 18th President.^[222]

Grant appointed four Justices to theSupreme Court of the United States during his presidency. When Grant took office, there were eight seats on the bench.^[223] Congress had passed aJudicial Circuits Act in 1866, which provided for the elimination of one seat on the Court each time a justice retired, to prevent Andrew Johnson from nominating replacements for them.^[224] In April 1869, Congress passed aJudiciary Act which fixed the size of the Supreme Court at nine.^[225]

Grant had the opportunity to fill two Supreme Court seats in 1869. His initial nominees were:

• Ebenezer R. Hoar, nominated December 14, 1869, was rejected by the Senate (Vote: 24–33) on February 3, 1870.^[226]
• Edwin M. Stanton, nominated December 20, 1869, confirmed by the Senate (vote: 46–11) on December 20, 1869, died before he took office.^[226]

He subsequently submitted two more nominees who were successfully appointed:

• William Strong, nominated February 7, 1870, confirmed by the Senate on February 18, 1870.^[226]
• Joseph P. Bradley, nominated February 7, 1870, confirmed by the Senate (vote: 46–9) on March 21, 1870.^[226]

Both men were railroad lawyers, and their appointment led to accusations that Grant intended them to overturn the case ofHepburn v. Griswold, which had been decided the same day they were nominated. In that case, which was unpopular with business interests, held that the federal debt incurred before 1862 must be paid in gold, notgreenbacks.^[227] Nonetheless, both Strong and Bradley were confirmed, and the following yearHepburn was indeed reversed.^[227]

Grant had the opportunity to fill two more seats during his second term. To fill the first vacancy, he nominated:

• Ward Hunt, nominated December 3, 1872, confirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1872.^[226]

In May 1873, Chief JusticeSalmon P. Chase died suddenly. Grant initially offered the seat to SenatorRoscoe Conkling, who declined, as did SenatorTimothy Howe.^[228] Grant made three attempts to fill vacancies:

• George Henry Williams, nominated December 1, 1873, withdrawn on January 8, 1874.^[226] The Senate had a dim view of Williams's performance at the Justice Department and refused to act on the nomination.^[229]
• Caleb Cushing, nominated January 9, 1874, withdrawn on January 13, 1874.^[226] Cushing was an eminent lawyer and respected in his field, but the emergence of his wartime correspondence with Jefferson Davis doomed his nomination.^[229]
• Morrison Waite, nominated January 19, 1874, confirmed by the Senate (vote: 63–0) on January 21, 1874.^[226] Waite was an uncontroversial nominee, but in his time on the Court, he authored two of the decisions (United States v. Reese andUnited States v. Cruikshank) that did the most to undermine Reconstruction-era laws for the protection of black Americans.^[228]

• Colorado – August 1, 1876

Grantvetoed more bills than any of his predecessors with 93 vetoes during the 41st through 44th Congresses. 45 were regular vetoes, and 48 of them werepocket vetoes. Grant had 4 vetoes overridden by Congress.^[230]

• Department of Justice (1870)
• Office of theSolicitor General (1870)
• United States Civil Service Commission (1871); Congressional appropriations expired in 1873, however, the commission continued to function. ThePendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883 renewed appropriations and enhanced the federal power and scope of the commission. Grant's U.S. Attorney GeneralAmos T. Akerman ruled that the Civil Service Commission was Constitutional as long as the purpose was to increase government's power to higher qualified workers and improve the efficiency of running the government.^[231] Akerman stated that the Civil Service Commission did not have the Constitutional power to stop or prevent appointments.^[231]
• Office of theSurgeon General (1871)
• Army Weather Bureau (currently known as theNational Weather Service) (1870)

• Media related toUlysses S. Grant at Wikimedia Commons
• Quotations related toUlysses S. Grant at Wikiquote
• Works related toUlysses S. Grant at Wikisource
• Extensive essay on Ulysses S. Grant and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet from the Miller Center of Public Affairs, U. of Virginia

• Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant
• 1860s in the United States
• 1870s in the United States
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Schuyler Colfax
• Henry Wilson
• 1869 establishments in the United States
• 1877 disestablishments in the United States
• Presidencies of the United States

• All articles with incomplete citations
• Articles with incomplete citations from March 2018
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2022
• CS1 errors: ISBN date
• Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2020
• CS1 errors: requires URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Good articles
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from August 2024
• Articles with permanently dead external links
• Pages containing links to subscription-only content
• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• Articles with dead external links from March 2018
• Commons category link is locally defined