Ulysses S. Grant: Well-Meaning

01VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

02Today we are talking about Ulysses S.

03Grant.

04He took office in 1869, but his presidency is not what made him famous.

05Grant is best remembered for being the commander of Union forces at the end of the Civil War.

06He led the United States to victory over the Confederate States of America.

07Many Americans also remember Grant because of the unusual story about his middle initial.

08When the future 18th President was born, his parents named him Hiram Ulysses Grant, but the boy was known as Ulysses.

09When Grant was a young man, a member of Congress appointed him to a top college, the U.S.

10Military Academy at West Point, New York.

11The congressman did not know Grant personally.

12He thought Grant used his mother's family name, Simpson, as his middle name.

13So the congressman called him Ulysses S.

14Grant.

15The middle initial S became official.

16Years later, Grant joked that it did not mean anything.

17During the Civil War, however, Grant's middle name did come to have a popular meaning.

18In a famous battle in the state of Tennessee, Grant's army overpowered their opponents.

19The Confederate general sent a note asking for the terms of surrender.

20In other words, what would the Union army require of them if they withdrew from the battle?

21General Grant replied, no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender.

22The answer did not please the Confederate general, but he agreed.

23In the North, people celebrated the victory.

24They began saying Grant's first two initials stood for unconditional surrender.

25Grant was born in the state of Ohio.

26He was the oldest of six children.

27Grant's father worked as a tanner, a person who makes leather from animal skin.

28As a boy, Grant helped his father, but he did not like the work.

29He said he would not do it when he was an adult.

30So, when Grant was a young man, his father asked West Point officials to admit his son as a student.

31The Grants had little money to pay for the boys' college education, but they knew he was intelligent and skilled, and West Point was free.

32In exchange for their education, West Point graduates serve in the military.

33Grant probably did not seem like a soldier.

34He was quiet and sensitive.

35He hated seeing men die in battle, and he questioned the value of war.

36But he turned out to be an excellent military leader.

37After he graduated from West Point, he fought in the Mexican War and earned medals for bravery.

38He was given more power and added responsibilities.

39However, Grant was lonely.

40Early in his career, he married Julia Dent, the sister of a college friend.

41He was devoted to Julia and their four children.

42But his family could not come with Grant on all his deployments for the military.

43They were separated for years at a time.

44Without his family nearby, Grant began having problems with money.

45Some people said he also drank too much alcohol.

46One day, Grant resigned from the army.

47He returned home to his family.

48At first, he tried to farm, but he could not make enough money.

49Then he tried other jobs.

50Finally, he asked his father for help.

51His father gave him a job, but it was the one the young Grant swore he never wanted.

52Working in a leather shop.

53Then things took a surprising turn.

54The Civil War began.

55The Union needed experienced military leaders.

56Grant accepted a position leading a difficult group of troops.

57He was able to train them and earn their respect.

58Quickly, Grant's public image as a military leader grew.

59He won major victories for the Union in battles at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

60The president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, liked the way Grant planned the battles.

61He also liked that Grant did everything he could to win.

62Grant permitted so many of his soldiers to die that his critics gave him a nickname, The Butcher.

63Grant's methods were harsh, but effective.

64The Civil War effectively ended when the famous Confederate general, Robert E.

65Lee, surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.

66The following year, Grant was named General of the U.S.

67Armies.

68The only other person to hold that position was the military leader during the Revolutionary War, George Washington.

69The Civil War The Civil War Like George Washington, Grant became president, although he did not really seek the position.

70But Republican Party leaders realized that the former general was very popular, and they knew that Grant opposed the policies of the president at the time, Andrew Johnson.

71So the Republicans nominated Grant as their candidate in 1868.

72He won easily.

73But Grant's popularity and ability as a military leader did not make him a successful president.

74Grant tried to work for the political and civil rights of African Americans, many of whom had been enslaved.

75One of Grant's most important acts was to support the 15th Amendment to the U.S.

76Constitution.

77The measure gave African American men the right to vote.

78At the same time, Grant tried to give states control over their own laws.

79So sometimes he used the power of the federal government to protect the rights of African Americans, and he sometimes let states use violence to prevent African Americans from exercising their rights.

80Grant also spoke about treating Native Americans with greater respect.

81He used government resources to help Native people become farmers.

82But other government policies helped white settlers continue to push tribes off their lands.

83Few Native Americans saw their lives really improve under Grant.

84Finally, his administration suffered because of corrupt government officials.

85Grant himself did not get rich from their actions.

86But he remained loyal to people who worked for him, even when they profited from their position.

87As a result of all this, many Americans lost interest in Reconstruction and lost faith in the federal government.

88But Grant himself remained popular.

89He won a second term more easily than the first.

90Shortly after, the country entered a bad economic depression.

91Grant tried to improve the situation by supporting the gold standard.

92But many Americans, of all backgrounds, continued to suffer.

93Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

94But he is remembered as a war hero.

95Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

96But he is remembered as a war hero.

97Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

98But he is remembered as a war hero.

99Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

100Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

101Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

102Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

103Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

104Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

105Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

106Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

107Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

108Grant died in 1885, a few days after the book was finished.

109It was a major success.

110Grant died in 1885, a few days after the book was finished.

111It earned enough money to provide for his family, and as a kind-hearted man with an interesting life.!

112Grant is not remembered as one of the most presidents.

113People across the country mourned the loss of Grant.

114More than a million and a half watched his funeral parade in New York City.

115He is buried there, along with his beloved wife, in a well-known memorial, popularly called Grant's Tomb.

116I'm Kelli Jean Kelley.

117I'm Kelli Jean Kelley.