America's Greatest 19th Century Presidents (2 page)
Read America's Greatest 19th Century Presidents Online
Authors: Charles River Editors
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885)
In the 19
th
century, one of the surest ways to rise to prominence in American society was to be a war hero, like Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison. But few would have predicted such a destiny for Hiram Ulysses Grant, who had been a career soldier with little experience in combat and a failed businessman when the Civil War broke out in 1861.
However, while all eyes were fixed on the Eastern theater at places like Manassas, Richmond, the Shenandoah Valley and Antietam, Grant went about a steady rise up the ranks through a series of successes in the West. His victory at Fort Donelson, in which his terms to the doomed Confederate garrison earned him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant, could be considered the first major Union victory of the war, and Grant’s fame and rank only grew after that at battlefields like Shiloh and Vicksburg. Along the way, Grant nearly fell prey to military politics and the belief that he was at fault for the near defeat at Shiloh, but President Lincoln famously defended him, remarking, “I can’t spare this man. He fights.” Lincoln’s steadfastness ensured that Grant’s victories out West continued to pile up, and after Vicksburg and Chattanooga, Grant had effectively ensured Union control of the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as the entire Mississippi River. At the beginning of 1864, Lincoln put him in charge of all federal armies, and he led the Army of the Potomac against Robert E. Lee in the Overland campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and famously, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.
Despite being the best known Union general of the Civil War and a former president of the United States, Grant was penniless after being swindled by a fraudulent business deal when he learned that he had terminal cancer in the mid-1880s. Facing death, and with his family suffering financial difficulties, Grant set about writing personal memoirs that would not only secure his legacy but also provide for his family. Grant finished his memoirs just a few days before his death, but he wrote what is almost universally considered to be the best memoirs of the Civil War and one of the best personal memoirs ever written. Grant’s
Memoirs
, published by Mark Twain, sold over 300,000 copies, earning the Grant family over $450,000. Twain promoted the book as "the most remarkable work of its kind since the
Commentaries
of Julius Caesar."
Although Grant was instrumental in winning the war and eventually parlayed his fame into two terms in the White House, his legacy and accomplishments are still the subjects of heavy debate today. His presidency is remembered mostly due to rampant fraud within his Administration, although he was never personally accused of wrongdoing, and even his victories in the Civil War have been countered by charges that he was a butcher. Like the other American Legends, much of Grant’s personal life has been eclipsed by the momentous battles and events in which he participated, from Fort Donelson to the White House.
America’s Greatest 19
th
Century Presidents
covers the amazing accomplishments of Grant’s life and career while putting a human touch on the Westerner who rose from virtually nothing to become the most influential general and author of the Civil War, and an important president. Along with pictures of Grant and other important people and events in his life, you will learn about him like you never have before, in no time at all.
America’s Greatest 19
th
Century Presidents: The Lives of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses S. Grant
Chapter 1: Early Life and Education, 1743-1773
Birth in Virginia
Monticello and Marriage
House of Burgesses
Chapter 2: Revolutionary Acitivities, 1774-1782
First Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence
Virginia Government
Chapter 3: Early American Government, 1783-1788
Return to the Continental Congress
Minister in France
Chapter 4: The Washington and Adams Administrations, 1789-1800
Secretary of State
Conflict with Hamilton and Partisanship
Vice President
Alien and Sedition Acts
Chapter 5: The Jefferson Administration, 1800-1809
Electoral Crisis
Inauguration, War, and an Annual Message
Marbury v. Madison
The Louisiana Purchase
Lewis and Clark
Amendment and Reelection
Foreign Policy in the Second Term
Chapter 6: Post-Presidency, 1809-1826
Chapter 7: Death and Legacy, 1826-Present
Death
Legacy
Bibliography
Chapter 1: Early Life and Education, 1751-1775
Birth and Early Life
Education
Chapter 2: The American Revolution, 1775-1783
Virginia Politics before the Revolution
First Continental Congress
Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Bunker Hill
Second Continental Congress
The Virginia Constitution
Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris
Chapter 3: The Father of the Constitution, 1783-1787
Serving in the Continental Congress
Back to Virginia
Problems with the Articles of Confederation
The Constitutional Convention
Working to Ratify the Constitution in Virginia
The Federalist Papers
The Bill of Rights
Chapter 4 – Early American Government – 1789-1808
House of Representatives and the Bill of Rights
The Adams Presidency
Secretary of State Madison
Chapter 5 – Presidency, 1808-1816
The Election of 1808
Dealing with the Embargo Act and Neutrality
Policies Concerning Native Americans
Deciding to Declare War on Britain
The War of 1812
Dissent and Victory
Chapter 6: Madison’s Final Years and Legacy
Post-Presidency and Death
Legacy
Bibliography
Chapter 1: Early Life and Education, 1767-1786
Birth and Upbringing
Education
The Revolutionary War
Chapter 2: Law and Politics, 1787-1811
Jackson’s Law Career
Marriage and Tennessee Constitution
Early Political Career
Judge and Planter
Chapter 3: The War of 1812
The War of 1812
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Battle of New Orleans
Chapter 4: More Military Glory and a Return to Politics, 1815-1824
Florida and the Seminole War
U.S. Senate and Election of 1824
Chapter 5: Jackson’s Presidency, 1828-1837
Election of 1828
Petticoat Affair
Indian Removal Act
Nullification Crisis and Reelection
The Second Bank of the United States
Texas
Chapter 6: Post-Presidency, Death, and Legacy, 1837-Present
Hermitage and Death
Legacy
Bibliography
Chapter 1: Early Life and Education, 1809-1842
Birth and Early Life
Personal Life
Chapter 2: Introduction to National Politics and the Law, 1843-1848
Running for Congress
