History Through Literature Unit 2 Chapter 5: Grant and Reconstruction

Grant From Ohio Graduated from West Point (middle of class) Good horsemen Sent to infantry in Mexican War Left army before court-martialed – alcohol Worked in father’s leather store in Galena Civil War started – great!

Bad Grant Butcher Grant Scandal Drinking, recklessness, disregarded the lives of his troops Corrupt administrations Abandoned the newly freed African Americans Native Americans – turned over to Christians do-gooders Turned Republican party of common man, slaves, and Lincoln into the party of big business

Grant the General Only General that beat Robert E. Lee Losses were regrettable After WWI – butcher again Everything is expendable, so long as you win Goal was not to annihilate the Rebels, but to force them to lay down their arms and rejoin the Union.

Johnson and the Radicals Fought over reconstruction Johnson lenient towards Southerners Radicals , wants suffrage towards Freemen 1867 – Radicals take over Congress – impeach Johnson – survives by one vote Radical Reconstruction begins

Ku Klux Klan Scottish Founded in Tennessee in 1866 African Americans subject to random terror Wanted to replace Freemen with Confederates in local governments Operated at night – lynching, murder, arson, rape, whipping, mutilation, and economic coercion Terrorize Blacks who would be leaders

Grant to the rescue Only ran because he thought he had to save the Union – very splintered Goal was to bring peace and rights for citizens to blacks – found out he couldn’t do both.

Grant as President

Grant and Civil Rights 1871 got passed the Ku Klux Act in response to the KKK attacking South Carolina’s state government (first ever Civil Rights Act) Sent 16 companies of troops to South Carolina Threatened to send more troops – violence subsided 1874 – riots broke out in New Orleans – again threatened to send troops – worked Grant damned no matter what he did. If he supported the blacks – charged with promoting the Republican party. If he did nothing, then only whites would vote and vote all Democrat and the blacks would be up the creek.

Sheridan In December of 1874 – New Orleans flared up again Sent Sheridan to take care of it Sheridan took on the “White League” and wanted them declared banditti and tried in military courts Congress was outraged (Democrats had taken control) – Grant defended himself, allowed Sheridan to do his work, but never again sent troops into the South.

The End Election of 1876 Samuel Tilden and Rutherford Hayes Hayes could be president if the North removed troops, the south promised not to use force to make Tilden President and to treat the freemen “humanely.” The Republicans gave up on the Freeman to keep the Presidency

Ambrose Whished he would have wrote a book on Grant Next President to send troops to the south for Civil rights was Eisenhower in 1957 to enforce Brown v. Board of Education Tried to do more for blacks then any President until LBJ in the 60’s. Only time Grant every gave up. “Failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent” He was a great American who did far more good for our country that most generals or Presidents can even approach.

Read Read in the Kennedy book – pages 504-511 Is there a big difference between Kennedy and Ambrose? Explain some differences. Is Kennedy bias? Give some adjectives. Is there two different sets of history for Grant?