Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency (1869-1877) Flashcards
1
Q
The 1868 Election
A
- 1868: Republicans chose Grant as the presidential candidate
- His Democrat opponent was Horatio Seymour who opposed the Reconstruction and the equality of African-Americans
- Grant won 52% of the popular vote as a result of African-American support
2
Q
The 1872 Election
A
- Grant easily defeated Horace Greely in a second presidential election
- He won over 55% of the popular vote
- His opponent, Greely, claimed that there was no longer a need for all the Reconstruction policies, once again the majority voting for Grant were African Americans
3
Q
Southern Republicanism
during Reconstruction
A
- Grant was in favour of the firm treatment of the South in the Reconstruction process
- New state governments had been established in the South, which was now under military rule, these new govs were often corrupt and inefficient
- Majority of new officials were Northerners nicknamed ‘carpetbaggers’ after the type of suitcase they carried
- They were helped by a few Southern whites called ‘scalawags’ with the term derived from a nickname for low quality farm animals
- Most Southern whites detested the Republican newcomers who, they believed, were determined to destroy the Southern way of life
4
Q
The 15th Amendment
A
- Introduced in 1869
- Stated that ‘the right to vote should not be denied on account of race, colour or previous conditions of servitude.’
- Amendment ensured that male citizens of any colour or race could vote wherever they lived
5
Q
The Gold Standard Panic Scandal
(1869)
A
- A group of speculators attempted to influence the government and manipulate the gold market
- The plot failed and resulted in financial panic on 24th September 1869, known as Black Friday
- Grant was not directly involved but his reputation suffered as he had become personally associated with 2 of the speculators: James Fisk and Jay Gould prior to the scandal
6
Q
The Whiskey Ring Scandal
(1875)
A
- Involved a network of distillers, distributors and public officials who conspired to defraud the federal government of millions in liquor tax
- Grant’s private secretary, Orville Babcock, was indicated in the scandal but, with help of the President, was later acquitted
7
Q
Grant’s Indian Peace
Policy (1869-1877)
A
- Grant’s aim was the cultural and political assimilation of Native Americans into the American life through the rights of citizenship, rather than extermination of war (genocide)
- This was done by implementing features such as education, Christianity and agriculture
- ‘A system which looks to the extinction of a race too is too horrible for a nation to adopt’