Executive power and Republicanism : the battle to define Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency 1868-1880
This thesis situates the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) and the attempts to provide him with a third term in the republican political culture of Reconstruction. Exploring the period through the lens of the press, pamphlets, and archival material, it shows how republican ideas â especially hostility to partisan politics and fear of concentrated power â in the era had the capacity to both augment and detract from the president's ability to secure the post-war settlement. Early interpretations of Grant's presidency, written by scholars often hostile to Reconstruction, accused him of overzealous support for African-American civil rights. In contrast, revisionists blamed Reconstruction's failure in part on Grant's weak administration. However, when viewed through the prism of the republican political culture of the era, it is possible to see how Grant's presidency could be simultaneously strong and weak. Republicanism enabled the portrayal of Grant as both a model republican and a tyrantin-waiting. This thesis argues that the very qualities which made him a strong president â his antipartisanship, self-sacrifice, and honour â gave Grant the independence and support which many feared would be
Grenville-Mathers, Annabelle Frances
Executive power and Republicanism : the battle to define Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency 1868-1880. This thesis situates the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) and the attempts to provide him with a third term in the republican political culture of Reconstruction. Exploring the period through the lens of the press, pamphlets, and archival material, it shows how republican ideas â especially hostility to partisan politics and fear of concentrated power â in the era had the capacity to both augment and detract from the president's ability to secure the post-war settlement. Early interpretations of Grant's presidency, written by scholars often hostile to Reconstruction, accused him of overzealous support for African-American civil rights. In contrast, revisionists blamed Reconstruction's failure in part on Grant's weak administration. However, when viewed through the prism of the republican political culture of the era, it is possible to see how Grant's presidency could be simultaneously strong and weak. Republicanism enabled the portrayal of Grant as both a model republican and a tyrantin-waiting. This thesis argues that the very qualities which made him a strong president â his antipartisanship, self-sacrifice, and honour â gave Grant the independence and support which many feared would be
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