Posted in African Americans Emancipation & Reconstruction Andrew Johnson Civil War Liberal Republicans Lincoln U.S. Grant Videos White Supremacy White Terror

Heather Cox Richardson on the Republican Party in the Civil War & Reconstruction Era

Heather Cox Richardson did a gajillion-part series on the history of the Republican Party on Facebook Live over the summer. The first five hours cover…

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Posted in Andrew Johnson U.S. Grant

Video: Historian Brooks Simpson Gives Good Overview of Reconstruction Era Policies

Brooks Simpson is one of America’s leading scholars of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Johnson. He has written leading scholarly works on the Civil War…

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Posted in Elections Ku Klux Klan Music U.S. Grant White Terror

In 1868 the Republican Campaign Song Promised That Grant Would “Make the Ku Klux Klan Shiver”

While modern political campaigns typically employ popular music at rallies as walk-on music for candidates, in the 19th Century most campaigns came armed with a…

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Posted in U.S. Grant

Cartoonist Thomas Nast, the Campaign of 1868, and the Image of Ulysses S. Grant

​ In May, 1868, German immigrant illustrator Thomas Nast designed the backdrop at the Republican National Convention. According to biographer Fiona Deans, “On an enormous…

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Posted in Movies U.S. Grant

Brooks Simpson Discusses “Grant” Miniseries

Historian Brooks Simpson is a pioneer in the reevaluation of the life and career of Ulysses S. Grant. His many readers know him as a…

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Posted in Elections Illustrations Ku Klux Klan U.S. Grant White Terror

When Grant Literally Decapitated Seymour (at least Cartoon Grant did)! Nov. 1868

By the evening of November 3, 1868 it was pretty clear to most informed observers that Ulysses S. Grant had been elected president. If you…

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Posted in U.S. Grant

Grant Sworn In As President in March 1869-A Gallery of Illustrations

The November, 1868 election of Ulysses Grant was a momentous event. Grant was the greatest American military hero since George Washington. Like Washington, he was…

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Posted in U.S. Grant White Supremacy White Terror

December 1868 Grant Investigates Political Violence in Arkansas

After the Civil War Ulysses S. Grant continued to command the United States Army. As president elect in 1868 Grant sent his trusted aide Horace…

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Posted in Book Reviews U.S. Grant

Now That You Saw the Miniseries “Grant”-What Books Should You Read to Learn More

With hundreds of thousands of Americans watching the new History Channel miniseries “Grant,” I have been asked by several people for recommendations on books to…

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Posted in U.S. Grant

Grant Creates Modern Staff System for the White House March-April 1869

Grant was sworn in as president on March 4, 1869. His cabinet was nominated and confirmed in his first week in office. One innovation of…

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