Ulysses S. Grant: Life and Works of the 18th President of the United States

This report provides a detailed account of the life and works of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. It covers his military career, role in the Civil War, and his presidency. Learn about his contributions to the abolition of slavery and the reconstruction of the country.

Running head: ULYSSES S. GRANT
Ulysses S. Grant
Name of the Author
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Ulysses S. Grant was an American soldier, author, politician and an international
statesman who was also the 18th President of the United States of America (1869 -1877). He
also fought under Abraham Lincoln, leading the Union Army as the Commander General
during the Civil War. Later, during the Reconstruction era, he also led the Republicans in
their efforts to abolish slavery, racism and slavery from the United States. The purpose of this
report is to describe in detail the life and works of Ulysses S. Grant.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Early Life..............................................................................................................................3
Military Career and Marriage............................................................................................4
Role in the Civil War...........................................................................................................4
Journey from War Hero to the President..........................................................................5
Role as the President............................................................................................................6
Life after President and Death............................................................................................6
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................7
Reference List...........................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
The United States of America has come a long way since the time the nation was
formed. Since the time of its formation till today, the country has had a number of Presidents
who governed the country. One such President was Ulysses S. Grant. He was an International
Statesman, an author, politician and a soldier who served under Abraham Lincoln as the
Commander General of the Union Army during the Civil War. Later he also the republicans
in their efforts to abolish slavery and racism in the country. He was also the 18th President of
the United States serving from1869 to 1877. This research report will look at the life and the
works of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America.
Discussion
Early Life
Ulysses S. Grant was born as Hiram Ulysses S. Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio in April
1822. His father was a tanner and a merchant and his mother was a housewife. Later, his
family moved to Georgetown Ohio where his other siblings were born. Grant started his
formal education at the age of five years of age He started his formal education first at a
subscription school and later at private schools. He quickly developed a knack for horse
riding and managing horses. Being a Methodist, his father never allowed him to attend any
Churches and he always prayed in private without attending any churches.
Military Career and Marriage
It was during 1839 that Jesse Grant arranged for his son Ulysses to join the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point in the year 1843 and was
commissioned as brevet second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry which was positioned at
Missouri. He also saw action during the Mexican- American War during the year 1848 in the
month of August (Woodworth, 2017). After meeting and marrying Julia Dent in the year

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1848, the couple had four children. During his time in the army, Grant was positioned at
various remote locations in the United States during which time he was separated from his
family. It was in the year of 1854 that Gant resigned from the United States army to be with
his army.
Role in the Civil War
As stated by Marsalek (2016), with the outbreak of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant,
who was living as a civilian with his family, was appointed as the Colonel of the 21st Illinois
Volunteers. During that same year, he met President Abraham Lincoln who appointed Grant
as the Brigadier General. His first major victory was achieved during the year of 1862 when
he and his forces captured the Fort Donelson at Tennessee and stated the commander of the
opposing forces that they demanded unconditional surrender from the opposing forces. Apart
from this, Grant and his forces also had other victories in the war which included capturing
Vicksburg at Mississippi which was then a Confederate State in the United States.
In March 1884, Grant was promoted to the role of Lieutenant General by President
Abraham Lincoln owing to his reputation of being a determined and tough leader. As the
Lieutenant General of his army, Grant led his army to many more conquests against the
Southern Confederate army which ultimately defeated the Southern Confederates and caused
the Civil War of America to come to an end with the victory for the Republics and the then
President Abraham Lincoln (Miller, 2018). The war fully ended on April 9, 1869 when
Confederate General Robert Lee and his armed forces surrendered to Grant and his forces at
Appomattox Court House in Virginia which signalled the end of the Civil War. Grant was
hailed as a National hero for his victory in the Civil War against the Southern Confederates.

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Journey from War Hero to the President
After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wiles Booth, National
hero Ulysses S. Grant was appointed as a four star General of the United States army by the
next President Andrew Johnson. However, there were tensions between Johnson and the
Republicans as they favoured a more aggressive policy in the reconstruction of the South.
With the President’s removal of his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and appointment of
Grant in that position, the Congress reacted to the violation by the President of the Tenure of
Office Act and demanded the re-appointment of Stanton in the office. Grant resigned from
the post in the year of 1868 thereby ending his employment under Johnson (Pushaw Jr,
2018).
He was elected by the Republicans as the Presidential Candidate along with Schuyler
Colfax for the post of the President. In the general election that followed, Grant won the
election with 52% more votes defeating his opponents at a margin of 214-80 votes. He soon
became the youngest President of the United States of the United States of America at the age
of 46 in the same year.
Role as the President
There were several roles played by Ulysses S. Grant during his terms as the President
of the United States of America. The first thing he did as the President was to bring a
peaceful relation between the North and the South. Equal rights to the black people and the
slavers were continued and measures were taken to limit the activities of the white terrorist
groups like Ku Klux Klan which prevented the blacks from voting by using violence against
them.
As stated by Jordan (2019), apart from the reconstruction of South, Grant also
established the Department of Justice, the Weather Department and also the Yellowstone

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National Park, which became known as the first national park of the United States. Grant also
tried to better the conditions of the native people of America. He also negotiated the Treaty of
Washington in 1871 which improved the relationship between the United States and that of
the Great Britain. During his second term as the President, he had to deal with various
scandals and controversies that were placed against him by the opposition. He did not contest
for a third term at the Presidency and Rutherford Hayes, the then Governor of Ohio became
the next President after him.
Life after President and Death
Once Grant resigned from the Presidency of the United States, he went on a trip
around the world for two years while meeting various dignitaries from around the world.
Although he was nominated for the Presidency again by the Republicans in 1880, the
presidency was won James Garfield who became the 20th President of the United States
(Calhoun, 2017).
Grant was diagnosed with cancer in late 1884 and died on July 23, 1885 in Mount
McGregor in New York. His funeral procession was attended by more a million people where
he was laid to rest in a tomb at Riverside Park in New York. His wife was also buried beside
him after she died in 1902.
Conclusion
Fromm the above discussion, it can be concluded that Ulysses S. Grant was indeed
one of the greatest Presidents that the United States have come across in its history. Indeed he
was a War Hero who not only bought the Civil War to an end but also worked hard for the
betterment of the country he served. Although he faced a lot of scandals during his term as
the President of the country, it is his actions for which he is truly hailed as a national and a
War Hero in the country.

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Reference List
Calhoun, C. W. (2017). The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. University Press of Kansas.
Grant, U. S. (2015). The Best Writings of Ulysses S. Grant. SIU Press.
Grant, U. S. (2017). The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated
Edition. Harvard University Press.
Jordan, B. M. (2019). The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant by Charles W. Calhoun, and: The
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated Edition ed. by John
F. Marszalek. Journal of Southern History, 85(1), 192-194.
Marszalek, J. F., Nolen, D. S., Gallo, L. P., & Williams, F. J. (2019). Hold on with a Bulldog
Grip: A Short Study of Ulysses S. Grant. Univ. Press of Mississippi.
Miller, L. K. (2019). The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. The Charleston Advisor, 20(3), 45-47.
Pushaw Jr, R. J. (2018). Ulysses S. Grant and the Lost Opportunity for Racial Justice.

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Smith, T. B. (2018). The Decision was Always My Own: Ulysses S. Grant and the Vicksburg
Campaign. SIU Press.
White, R. C. (2017). American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant. Random House Trade
Paperbacks.
Woodworth, S. E. (2018). Battle of Wills: Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and the Last Year
of the Civil War by David Alan Johnson. Journal of Southern History, 84(1), 177-
178.