Coexistence Corner

Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency

By Nate Feldman

Ulysses S. Grant is most revered in the United States as the General of the Union Army that forced Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia to surrender in 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War between the northern and southern states.  Less celebrated, however, is his role as the 18th President of the United States from 1869-1877.  Remembered by many as a chronic alcoholic who was embroiled in scandal, many historians do not rank Grant as one of our better presidents.  In fact, an article in the Economist magazine states that presidential historians ranked him as the second worst president of all time in a 1948 survey (See "Today's historians have a higher opinion of Ulysses S. Grant.")  While a lot of the criticism of Grant's presidency has merit, recent research has shown that some of the negative representations of Grant are a bit unfair as he accomplished a great deal with long lasting effects that can still be felt in our country.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will explore the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant and his many achievements.  I will argue that Grant was in fact one of our better presidents and that the unfortunate scandals that maligned his second term in office created an enduring misconception of him as incompetent when he was in fact an outstanding leader.