Ulysses S Grant was the President of the United States from 1869 to 1877. He was the eighteenth president. Educated at the United States Military Academy, Grant was the Commanding General during the Civil War. He helped President Lincoln and led the Union Army to victory against the Confederacy. There are several Ulysses S Grant major accomplishments and many of them are prior to his presidency. In here, we shall focus on the Ulysses S Grant major accomplishments during his term in office.
1. President Grant brought in the civil right laws to fight the Ku Klux Klan. He effectively curbed on the violence incited and perpetrated by the Klan.
2. He facilitated the Fifteenth Amendment to ensure that African Americans have voting rights. He further strengthened the law to protect the right.
3. Ulysses S Grant brought in the Civil Rights Acts of 1870 & 1875 which guarantee equal rights for African Americans.
4. Although not in national interest as such but Grant used the arm to strengthen and build the Republican Party in the erstwhile Confederacy states. His base was primarily black voters and native white voters.
5. While there aren’t many Ulysses S Grant major accomplishments in regards to the economy of the country, he did handle the recession quite well what is now known as the Panic of 1873.
6. Grant worked on a peace policy for Indians and went on to reform the western Indian agencies. He did Americanize the agencies and the people.
7. A part of his foreign policy, Grant worked on reparations from the British owing to their role in undermining the blockade put up at Confederate ports by the Union Army. He unsuccessfully tried to annex colonies of Spain in Cuba and Santo Domingo. His attempts did not materialize owing to objections raised in the Senate.
Integral to Ulysses S Grant major accomplishments are his efforts to completely do away with slavery, to make a permanent change in the societal system where blacks could have equal rights, his military prowess did not just win the Civil War but ensured that all loose ends are tied up and the Union as envisioned by Lincoln was formed to fruition and he also worked on economic prosperity for the whole nation. However, there is a contrarian school of thought that blames his presidency for the Panic of 1873. Although he did manage his presidency well for two terms, it was argued that some of his policies had caused the recession.