Study GuideU.S. History I–Era of Reconstruction1.Grant Administration; Reconstruction EndsAs the Civil War faded into the past,Reconstruction slowly lost national support. Other politicaland economic issues began to take center stage. Over time, the Republican Party backed away fromefforts to protect African Americans’ rights, even though those rights were written into the Constitution.Supreme Court decisions, political fatigue, and economic troublesall played a role in bringingReconstruction to an end.1.1The Election of Ulysses S. Grant (1868)In 1868, Republicans nominatedUlysses S. Grant, the Union general who accepted Robert E. Lee’ssurrender. Grant was extremely popular with veterans, and because he had little political experience,many expected him to follow Congress’s lead.Voters faced a clear choice:•Republicanssupported Reconstruction, wanted to pay the national debt in gold, anddefended Black voting rights in the South.•Democratsopposed Reconstruction, called it military rule, supported paper money(“greenbacks”), and appealed to white voters who believed African Americans were gainingtoo much power.Grant easily won theelectoral vote, but thepopular vote was close. Newly enfranchised Blackvoters in the South were critical to his victory.1.2Foreign Policy Successes and Expansion EffortsOne of Grant’s major achievements was settling a long-standing dispute withGreat Britain. British-built ships had helped the Confederacy during the war, especially theAlabama, a Confederate raider.•In1871, both countries agreed to let an international court decide the issue.•The tribunal ruled in favor of the United States, awardingmore than $15 millionin damages.Grant also looked to expand U.S. influence:•The U.S. had already boughtAlaskafrom Russia in 1867.•Grant tried to annexSanto Domingo (Dominican Republic)in 1870, but the plan lackedsupport—even within his cabinet—and the Senate rejected it.Preview Mode
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