President+Grant

 __Grant Us Another Term __ In 1868, Ulysses S. Grant was nominated to represent the Republican party during the Presidential election. Grant defeated Horatio Seymour with a large margin to spare. Even though many scandals surfaced during his first term, he was renominated again in 1872 and was able to serve a second term. During both terms, Grant's main focus was Reconstruction and black suffrage.

During his presidency, the troops still occupied the Southern states and tried their best to end any anti-black voting measures that took place. The fifteenth amendment was passed in 1870 that allowed people of all races to vote in the elections. According to [|a biography on Grant,] "...in 1875, the Civil Rights Act was passed which ensured that African Americans would have the same right to use inns, transportation, and theaters among other things. However, the law was ruled unconstitutional in 1883".

While Grant did seem like a highly reliable and efficient president, he had his ups and downs. His goals for Reconstruction were often met, however he made many mistakes. Four major  [|scandals]  surfaced during Grant's "reign".


 * 1) **Black Friday** - September 24, 1869
 * Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to purchase enough gold so as to corner the gold market. The price of the gold began to increase [[image:http://www.harpweek.com/Images/SourceImages/CartoonOfTheDay/March/031876m.jpg width="268" height="232" align="right"]] rapidly. Grant soon realized what was happening and tried to mend the problem, however, many people suffered numerous losses.
 * 1) **Crédit Mobilier** - 1872
 * The officers of the Crédit Mobilier sold cheap stocks to various members of Congress to cover up stealing money from the Union Pacific Railroad.
 * 1) **Whiskey Ring** - 1875
 * After the Civil War, liquor taxes were raised to increasingly higher rates to pay off the war. The nation's distillers bribed the
 * 1) **Belknap Bribery** - 1876
 * Grant's Secretary of War, William W. Belknap accepted bribes from traders selling at Indian posts. He was impeached by the House of Representatives, but later aquitted in August of 1776.

According to [|Wikipedia], "Grant built a powerful, patronage-based Republican Party in the South, straining relations between the North and former Confederates. His administration was marred by scandal, sometimes the product of nepotism; the //Grantism// was coined to describe political corruption.

Sources:

1. [|"Ulysses Grant Biography - Eighteenth President of the United States." American History From About.] 2. "[|Grant Administration Scandals." United States History.] 3. [|"Ulysses S. Grant -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.] 4. Brinkley, Alan. //American History A Survey, 12th Edition// 5. Bunting III, Josiah. //Ulysses S. Grant//.