President Ulysses S. Grant Critical Analysis

President Ulysses S. Grant Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Introduction President Grant’s administration began after the end of the Civil war, and as a war veteran he had favorable ratings initially among the American public. Nonetheless, his record was mixed as it was characterized with various scandals, but President Grant served two consecutive terms from 1868 to 1877 (Broadwater, 2012). In this era, the effects of the war were less visible as the nation started engaging in international trade, and there was political stability. As a Republican, President Grant was in support of equality, as characterized by his approval of civil rights and freedoms to the African American population. In essence, this era was characterized with President Grant’s efforts advocating for more inclusive voting rights, while also encouraging democracy in the country. In spite of the President’s efforts towards bringing change, there were few political savvy people who Grant could rely on, and this combined with the scandals led to dwindling support. Reforms To deal with increasing burden of the civil service on the national economy, the President advocated for more professionalism in the civil service. Thus, he appointed a commission to oversee reforms in the civil service, unlike in earlier times where there were less rigorous evaluations of civil servants (Broadwater, 2012). The commission case up with rigorous criteria requiring more regulation in hiring civil servants. This practice ensured that civil servants had to undergo rigorous testing in seeking employment, but the tests also determined promotion prospects for government employees. However, in the along run these reforms had little effect, as the president resulted to patronage in rewarding his allies in the civil service. President Grant sought to improve race relations across the nation through bills, his policies towards recognizing the rights of black men were the most common (Simpson, 1997). However, he had a more enduring legacy through protecting the rights of Indians. From his campaign policies, President Grant promised to ensure peaceful coexistence among all communities. This marked the beginning of negotiation with Indian tribes, broadening the mandate of the president and his office. The Indian people often clashed with White Americans who sought to acquire more land inhabited by the Native American’s. The Indians were housed in reservations, as the government wanted their integration into America mainstream culture. Nonetheless, these efforts had little effect in improving the lives of Indians who only gained citizenship in the twentieth century. In the economic front, President Grant favored payment of public debt using gold. His record in protecting American workers was mixed he stated that he wanted worker’s wages protected and even reduced working hours, but at times wages were reduced. The most sweeping changes came from the Treasury Department, which wanted to increas...