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 increase efficiency of the treasury. Effectiveness in the Treasury involved lying off staff deemed surplus to requirements, increasing efficiency of the tax systems and protecting the currency from manipulation and counterfeiting. Thus, the administration’s efforts towards improving the economy proved successful in early stages, as this was characterized with budget surplus. Development of the office Even though, President Grant was a well respected army general, his presidency was blighted by various scandals from his close allies. Nonetheless, President Grant left a legacy that is yet to be appreciated especially among his critics.During the American Civil War, and ensuing battles, the President had a more long lasting impact on the development of the office. His presidency paved the way for increased military role in the presidency. Even though, he never directly advocated for the military to entrench itself in politics, it became increasingly popular to elect people with a military background. This has strengthened America’s role in the world as Presidents typically prefer strong militaries to extend America’s influence. At the same time, unification was possible after the war through consolidation of the Union and merger with the defeated Confederacy. Grant’s decision to involve both Democrats and Republicans in his appointments was one of his enduring legacies in the development of the office. In essence, he opened the door for compromise and consultation across the political divide. Even though, he tended to favor his close associates in appointments, he went beyond party politics. This resulted in mixed fortunes for his government, where his allies were involved in numerous scandals but could not face scrutiny from the president. In the American Presidency, being political savvy is an important aspect for one to compromise, and Grant’s presidency shows that one cannot solely rely on allies to run the government, but should instead be willing to compromise. Thus, the president was effective in integrating cabinet from different political parties, but his undoing was placing too much trust in the hands of his allies. Another enduring impact of President Grant was in influencing policy through the office of the president. Through his influence, army troops took control of areas that had Klansmen terrorizing black men. Through presidential directives it was possible to detain Klansmen, than would otherwise have taken long without presidential directives. Thus, the president facilitated the weakening of the Ku Klux Klan, while also calling for the protection of black people in America. This goes on to show that there was development in the office, with more and more presidents being directly involved in policy making. Without the president’s input, it would have been difficult to reach a compromise along party lines, as slavery had different legacies in the South and North of the country. Another development in the office was increased involvement in monetary policy for the presidency. Even though, the president was not required to undertake policies aimed at improving the economy, it became increasingly likely that rebuilding the country would require input from the president. This is most apparent in the way that the administration undertook measures to rescue the economy strained by economic depressions in 1873. During this period a large bank fell into bankruptcy, and the president was also faced with the task of dealing with increasing inflation (Broadwater, 2012). Consequently, the President managed to focus on gold money rather than paper money to tame inflation. However, the president’s efforts were less successful in building consumer confidence, monopolies amassed more power, but workers benefitted less from growth in businesses. Grant’s hands off approach inadvertently led to development in the office, as presidents were more willing to deal with graft in their administration. The many scandals that affected the administration could not be directly tied to the president, but his unwillingness to deal with these cases weakened his presidency. Even though, there have been other majors scandals like the Watergate scandal, administrations are typically directly involved in fighting such cases. It is expected that presidents should be in the fore front, when dealing with national maters and this requires political will. However, under the Grant administration there was minimal political will to prosecute corruption (Broadwater, 2012). Consequently, the administration was synonymous with corruption, and oversight authorities have since been instituted to deal with scandals in contemporary America. Separation of powers was a deeply ingrained concept in America, but the president was also responsible for better judicial services though creation of a Department of Justice. This office was responsible for facilitating the work of the Attorney General. In essence, the creation of the office and appointment of a Solicitor General, led to more autonomy and separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary. Thus, the presidency was effective in strengthening the justice system. Additionally, there were many cases involving Klansmen that were better handled by the new look justice system. Hence, indirectly, President Grant empowered the justice system and also led to reduced violence in the South, because of the stricter penalties imposed by the justice system. Foreign policy With his military training, Grant was largely successful in foreign policies, because of his view that war would be disruptive and led to instability. Nonetheless, he supported America’s war efforts as evidenced by the Virginius affair (Linder, 2005). This affair involved shipment of war equipment to support Cuban dissidents who sought to liberate the country (Blouet, 2007). However, this was in violation of an agreement with Spain. Thus, it is clear that the President sought to extent America’s power in the Western hemisphere. Tension arose with Spain, but among the dissidents killed by Spanish officials were American citizens. However, Spain agreed to compensate America for the capture and death of its citizens, and also pay homage to the American flag (Linder, 2005). The foreign policy in the Grant Administration was mostly associated with the Secretary of state, Hamilton Fish. This was most apparent in the Alabama claims before the 1872 election, whereby Britain and...