The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: November 1, 1870-May 31, 1871
- ISBN-10
- 0809321971
- ISBN-13
- 9780809321971
- Series
- The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant
- Category
- Manuscripts, American
- Pages
- 548
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1998
- Publisher
- SIU Press
- Author
- Ulysses Simpson Grant
Description
In the spring of 1871, Ulysses S. Grant wrote to an old friend that as president he was "the most persecuted individual on the Western Continent." Grant had not sought the office, and halfway through his first term he chafed under its many burdens. Grant's cherished project to annex Santo Domingo, begun early in his administration, entered a crucial period. Grant agreed to a tactical compromise: Rather than vote the controversial treaty down, Congress sent a commission to investigate the island. Grant's message submitting the report, hammered out over labored drafts, bore a defensive tone and asked Congress to postpone any decision. Closer to home, Grant sought legislation to facilitate federal intervention in the persecution of blacks by white extremists across the South. After much acrimony and stinging accusations of executive tyranny, Congress passed an Enforcement Act, hailed by Grant as "a law of extraordinary public importance." The greatest accomplishment of Grant's first term came in foreign relations. After secret negotiations, the United States and Great Britain met in a Joint High Commission to settle long-standing grievances, from boundary and fishing questions to British complicity in the depredations of the Alabama and other Confederate raiders. The resulting Treaty of Washington established an international tribunal in Geneva, Switzerland. At home, economic prosperity and consequent debt reduction meant that Grant could see "no reason why in a few short years the national taxgatherer may not disappear from the door of the citizen almost entirely." His Indian policy, influenced by Eastern Quakers and often ridiculed for its benevolence, augured well. Despite continued clashes between Indians and settlers, Grant maintained that compassion rather than force would answer the Indian problem.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2005
- 564 pages
- Paperback
- SIU Press
Similar books
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: 1875
By Ulysses Simpson GrantThis is my ground, and I am sitting on it.” In May, Sioux leaders traveled to the capital, where Grant renewed efforts to persuade them to relocate to Indian Territory, “south of where you now live, where the climate is very much better ...
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 2
By Ulysses Simpson GrantThe Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 2
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: February 1-December 31, 1872
By Ulysses Simpson GrantNotified of his nomination for a second term in June 1872, Ulysses S. Grant accepted, promising "the same zeal and devotion to the good of the whole people for the future of my official life, as shown in the past.
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: July 1, 1868-October 31, 1869
By Ulysses Simpson Grant, Ulysses S. Grant AssociationThis volume carries Ulysses S. Grant through a brief period of welcome calm to the storms of the White House. Seemingly resigned to becoming president, Grant detached himself from military...
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: February 21-April 30, 1865
By Ulysses Simpson GrantWith the surrender at Appomattox, Grant demonstrated his capacity for making peace as well as for waging war. In the frantic aftermath of Lincoln's death, Grant maintained his customary levelheadedness despite clamor for vengeance.
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: 1873
By Ulysses Simpson GrantInaugurated for a second term on March 4, 1873, Ulysses S. Grant gave an address that was both inspiring and curiously bitter.
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 6
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 6
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: January 1-September 30, 1867
By Ulysses Simpson GrantAlthough Ulysses S. Grant is best remembered as Civil War commander and as president, documents included here demonstrate his importance in the intervening years.
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant [v.9]
By Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant John Y. Simon. Maps and Illustrations MAPS 6-7 13 Area of Operations of Grant's Command , Summer , 1863 Vicksburg to Jackson Area of Operations of Grant's Command , Fall , 1863 Chattanooga and Environs 288-289 293 ...
-
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: 1866
By Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant as symbol became as important in peace as he had been in war. The nation rewarded Grant with the rank of full general, the first U.S. officer to hold the rank since George Washington.