Ulysses 5. Grant was a popular war hero but a disappointing President. His ability to lead was marred by scandals involving members of his administration. Across the nation, local scandals also came to light. The most notorious involved a band of New York City Democratic politicians led by state senator William "Boss" Tweed.
By 1873, when Tweed was convicted, the public's confidence in its leaders was at low ebb. When one of the nation's most influential banks failed in 1873, panic led to a depression. The uncertain economy preoccupied northerners, who lost the stamina necessary to keep pressure on the South.
The continued cost of military operations in the South worried many people. Beginning in 1871, troops were withdrawn from the South. In 1872, the Freedmen's Bureau was dissolved. The death of a Radica Republican leader in 1874 symbolized an important transition. A generation of white reformers, forged by abolitionist fervor, had passed away. Without such leaders, northern racial prejudice reemerged. In a series of landmark cases, the Supreme Court chipped away at African American freedoms in the 1870s. A group of southern Democrats put together a coalition to return the South to the rule of white men. The main focus of their strategy was compro-mise: finding common issues that would unite white southerners
willh the gnal of regaining power in Congress, These compromisers
have become known as Redeemers.
In the 1876 presidential election, the Democratic candidate received 51 percent of the popular vote. When the Republicans demanded a recount, they found enough mistakes to swing the elec-tion. Rutherford B. Hayes won by one electoral vote in what became
Known as the Compromise of 1877, In return, the remaining iederal
troops were withdrawn from the South and southern states were guaranteed federal subsidies to build railroads and improve their ports. Reconstruction was over. Although it fell short of its goals.
Reconstruction opened new opportunities for black Americans, North and South. Constitutional amendments provided hope for full inclasion in American society, although it would take generations to use them to gain racial equality.
Review questions
1: what kind of president was Ulysses S. Grant?
2: what were some of the successes of reconstruction?
1: Ulysses S. Grant was a popular war hero but a disappointing President, marred by scandals involving members of his administration.
2: Some successes of Reconstruction included constitutional amendments that provided hope for full inclusion of black Americans in American society and opening new opportunities for them, both in the North and South.