Ulysses S. Grants

Ulysses S. Grants was the 18th President of the United States of America. He took the office in 1869, and was elected for a second term beginning in 1872. In his inaugural address he stated two specific goals. He wanted to achieve equality for the freed slaves, and to decrease the debt the nation was in.

Grant's presidency arrived just after the end of the Civil War. This was when the nation was in a state of Reconstruction. Two of the biggest problems the nation faced at the end of the war were racism and debt. Grant wanted to find a solution to both of these problems. The country paid for the Civil War via War Bonds issued to the citizens. At the end of the war these war bonds needed to be paid, and the government owed a tremendous amount of money to the people. One of the first things Grant did once taking office was signing the Act to Strengthen the Public Credit. This act ensured all debts would be paid with gold rather than greenbacks. However this act had a terrible effect on the price of gold. It fell to $130 an ounce. This was the lowest price since paying in gold was banned in 1862. This was considered a huge failure of the Grant presidency. His other goal however was a great success. He wanted blacks to have the same opportunities as whites. This may be influenced by his father, who was a staunch abolitionist. His major goal of equality dealt with suffrage. He wanted blacks to have the right to vote just as all white males. Grant pushed for an amendment to be added to the Constitution. This would be the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. It stated that no one should be denied the right to vote because of their race. In 1870 with the help of Grant's administration, it was passed.

In my opinion, President Grant was not successful. Although he had the great success of the 15th amendment, other promises were broken. His attempt at fixing the economy was an utter failure. In fact, it left the economy in even worse shape. His journey