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Corruption And Scandal In Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency

2709 Words11 Pages

Katelyn Jackson U.S. Roots & Reform

Corruption and Scandal in Ulysses S. Grant’s Presidency:
Gilded Age Politics on Black Friday & in the Whiskey Ring

President Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant, was president of the United States from 1869-1877. He is arguably best known for his success as General-in-Chief of the United States Union Army during the Civil War, not his presidency. Though he was an unexceptional student at West Point Military Academy, and was a heavy drinker, his performance as a Union Army leader gained him great rapport with the biggest names in politics. Under President Lincoln, Grant was elevated from the rank of Brigadier General to Lieutenant General following the hard-fought victories at …show more content…

Bristow (who was personally appointed by Grant) discovered that millions of dollars in funds from bad taxes were being funneled into an illegal network of politicians and whiskey manufacturers. Originally, this Whiskey Ring began as a slush fund, taking less than a dollar per barrel of whiskey that was sold unreported. Eventually, the activity developed into full-fledged criminal activity, robbing the United States Treasury and Internal Revenue Service more than million dollars a year. That million dollars a year was divided among a complex network of distillers, storekeepers, revenue agents, and Treasury clerks in on the operation. They split the stolen tax money in a number of ways, and corruption was carried out in various …show more content…

Louis in 1871. He was sent to distilleries in the city to collect liquor taxes from the distributors of alcohol. The required tax at that time was seventy cents per gallon sold of whiskey. It was common sense to McDonald, it seemed, that he should simply report fewer alcohol sales and keep the profits of the unreported liquor. If fifty gallons of liquor were sold, for example, but he only reported twenty-five gallons back to the Bureau of Revenue, he could keep the tax on the unreported twenty-five gallons as profit. It started out on a much smaller scale, however, with only small ranges of percentages going unreported. Eventually though, in his greed, more and more participants were recruited, blackmailed, and convinced of the immeasurable profits possible from this whiskey

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In the battle of shiloh Grant was able to fight off the confederate soldiers and hold them off while getting reinforcements and eventually being able to win the battle. On the first day of “Bloody Shiloh,” Grant saved his army, and on the second day he counterattacked and drove the enemy forces from the battlefield and back toward Corinth. General Grant Despite its disastrous start, Shiloh was a major victory for Grant. Grant led his army from the front and would stick to his plan of attack, and was able to adapt to the attacks of the Confederates.

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However, when Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter in 1861, Captain Grant heard the need and decided to return to service. He was promoted to Brigadier General as the war began. He proved himself through many different battle and strategies, such as the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Both of these victories were integral to the war effort and are considered the earliest significant

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From a broad perspective, the Republican Party nominee for President in 1868 was Ulysses S. Grant. Evidence from the text that further bolsters this claim is shown when the authors state, “Wrangling between Congress and President Andrew Johnson had soured the people on professional politicians in the Reconstruction era, and the notion still prevailed that a good general would make a good president. Stubbily bearded General Grant was by far the most popular Northern hero to emerge from the war” (Cohen & Kennedy 488). The quote above sheds light upon how the Republican Party embraced the notion, pertaining to how victorious military leaders translate into effective presidents. It can thus be deduced that General Grant, who, in turn, proved his

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Lee surrender his army and made the Union win the war. On April 9, 1865, the two generals met at the Appomattox Court House where they both signed a peace agreement marking the end of the Civil War and also Grant let Lee and his men return to there homes so no one got hurt or died. Ulysses S. Grant was a great and one of the best general and commanders during the Civil War. After the war, Grant was promoted to full general and oversaw the military during Reconstruction. Without Grant's bravery during the war, the United States would still be separated into two different countries.

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