American Experience Ulysses S Grant Warrior President

With racial rioting common under Andrew Johnson, Grant's views on former slaves evolved; all freedoms should be extended to African Americans, he said. Elected president in 1868, Grant faced issues of Reconstruction, industrial revolution, and the need for a workable Indian policy. His blind trust of advisors brought him scandal and failure. Financially ruined after office, Grant spent his final days writing his best-selling memoirs.