American Experience - Ulysses S. Grant, Warrior President

Buy This Item American Experience - Ulysses S. Grant, Warrior President by PBS Paramount  Available from Amazon  $17.99  on 11-26-2008     Ulysses S. Grant was an American paradox. A failed businessman, he became a brilliant military strategist whose destruction of a defiant South gained him the label "butcher." Elected president in 1868, Grant lacked the skill to deal with reconstruction and the nation's economy. His two terms were rocked by racial conflict and corruption scandals. Financially ruined, Grant spent his final days battling cancer to finish his war memoirs Reader Reviews Grant is one of the most confusing figures in our American History, because he was so conflicted as a man. Here is why: *He comes from a family that was against slavery, but marries a woman who owned slaves. *In 1861, he wrote his father a letter expressing no desire to help blacks but freed a slave he owned, rather than selling him and making a quick $1,000, even though he was broke and needed the money. *He was a complete failure in life, until the time (the War) came when being a failure wouldn't do. *He defeats all the odds and becomes a great general and a so-so President (his administration is rocked with scandals and racial unrest) and when he dies, he is back to where he started prior to 1861. Despite all of this, I came away respecting the man after watching this DVD. Why? Because he was a fighter, he reinvented himself, and no other white man in the 19th century (except for Lincoln) came close to wanting to solve the race problem and bring Americans closer. Grant was not a saint when it came to race, but he believed (after the war) that America must hold its promise to all people (regardless of race). He tried, really tried to keep his promise to the black race but politics, the North's boredom, and the South's racism got in the way. It will take another 80 years before another president would send federal troops to the South and finish the job of Lincoln/Grant. However the most touching part of this video is seeing Grant (suffering with cancer) rushing against time to leave his family financial security. Regardless of what you think about the man, this last deed shows the essence of this man and this DVD makes it clear....Grant was a reasonable man in unreasonable times.

American Experience - Ulysses S. Grant, Warrior President Available from Amazon Price: $17.99 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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