Ulysses S. Grant achieved greatness, but not without struggles. He “careened from poverty to riches, from triumph to failure, from humiliation to glorification.” (Smith,14) Grant developed both integrity and strong character in his boyhood years and at West Point Military Academy, that took him through the Civil War, his years as President, and throughout the rest of his life. (Smith, 13-19)
Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio, during the time period called the “Era of Good Feelings.” (The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, 9) (Smith, 21) His father was Jesse Root Grant and his mother, Hannah Grant, and he had three sisters and two brothers. When Ulysses S. Grant was born, his father and mother could not agree on a name for their son. Grant's father liked the name Hiram Ulysses Grant, but his mother liked the name Albert Gallitan Grant. They eventually agreed on the name Hiram Grant. (Smith, 21-23)
Grant's father owned a tannery in Point Pleasant; but when Grant was only a year old, his father sold their tannery and the family moved to Georgetown, Ohio, where he spent the bulk of his boyhood years. As a boy, Grant did not like school, therefore he did not try to succeed and was considered a poor student. As a teen, he was famous around town for training horses with ease, a skill that would help Grant in his years in the army. (Smith, 21-23)
After Grant's seventeenth birthday, his father suggested that he go to West Point.
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Initially, Grant did not want to go, but reluctantly, agreed to apply. His only motivation for going to West Point was to travel around the world. The congressman in charge of scheduling an appointment for Grant wrote down his name not as Hir...
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... provide for his family after he was gone. Grant's Memoirs soon became America's best seller, second only to the Bible. (Korda, 150)
Ulysses S. Grant passed away on the morning of July 23, 1885. (Grant, 1161) At his funeral, over 1.5 million viewers joined in the celebration of Grant's life and the mourning of his death. The words engraved on his tombstone, which were the mark of his life, were “Let Us Have Peace.” (Smith, 18-19, n.p.)
Ulysses S. Grant's character, which was shaped as a boy and as a soldier at West Point, helped him rise above the struggles he faced as general, President, and throughout the rest of his life. Though Grant faced many difficulties and failures, he had many more triumphs and successes. (Smith, 13-19) “The common thread is strength of character—an indomitable will that never flagged in the face of adversity.” (Smith, 15)
Grant started his military career in May 1839, at the military academy called WestPoint. He didn’t want to go to the academy; however, his father, Jesse Grant, forced him to go. Jesse made him go to WestPoint because it was the only college at the time that was free, and the Grant family didn’t have the money to send Ulysses to a university. When Grant arrived at WestPoint, his name wasn’t on the list of new students. On the list he saw a name that was close to his name so, to avoid confusion, he c...
Both Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were men of integrity, determination, passion and great skill. This is where their similarities end as Lee’s empowerment ideology differed from that of Grant’s aristocratic beliefs. Bruce Catton wrote about the two men in the essay, “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts”. Catton, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and Civil War Historian, provides a brief character analysis of both men in this essay. The beliefs that Grant embraced as a frontiersman was more admirable than those aristocratic beliefs of Lee, and more men and women of today should understand and follow Grant’s principles.
In this newly written biography, General Ulysses S. Grant: the soldier and the man, Civil War historian, Edward G. Longacre, examines Grant’s early life all the way through to his time as a military leader. Longacre takes the time to carefully analyze Grant’s childhood and the type of kid he was. He also examines Grant’s married life and how important his wife was to him. He takes a look at Grant’s early military career and what made him the kind of general he became. A deep focus that Longacre discussed was Grant’s biggest weakness: alcohol. Alcoholism consumed Grant, in the most literal sense, and affected him during his military career. Longacre describes Grant in a new and fascinating perspective in his biography.
Ulysses S Grant born Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on 27 April 1822 in Pleasant, Ohio. Grant and his family moved to Georgetown, Ohio, just one year after his birth. Grant was a graduate of West Point in 1843 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry stationed in Missouri. Grant was married Julia Dent and had four children later in marriage. Grant served in the Mexican-American War and he resigned from the military in 1854 after being stationed for several years away from his family. Grant tried a few different occupations after resigning from the Army such as a Farmer, Realtor, and after moving to Galena, Illinois, worked at his father’s leather goods business but failed at all these occupations. Grant was promoted to Colonel in the 21st Illinois Volunteers in April 1861after the start of the Civil War. Grant was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier General later that summer by President Abraham Lincoln. (www.histo...
...ancially stable, he began writing reminiscences to create “a memoir that ultimately earned nearly $450,000” (The White House). Soon after the completion of this autobiography, his death approached and his life would go down in history for years to come because of his bravery during the American Civil War.
Great military leaders should have a connection with the public and their soldiers. General Lee emerged overnight as the Confederate hero after the Seven Days’ Battles. His soldiers developed an almost divine belief in him because this battle was the first major victory since the First Battle of Bull Run and halted a succession of military attacks. The confederate soldiers also revered him due to his personal attributes, his dedication to protect his homeland, and because he held out so long against the Union with 11 times the industrial strength and three times the population of the South. Being a public hero also helped Jefferson Davis greatly as Davis was too overbearing, not in touch with the public, and not an exemplary leader like Abraham Lincoln. Doing so, Lee is connecting the people to their president, boosting morale, and hence productivity. The public, however, does not view General Ulysses S. Grant in such a positive light. The Union residents see Grant as a man who is overcome by his addiction of drinking and smoking, earning the disdain of General McClellan who was “annoyed and offended” by Grant...
George Washington Carver was born in Missouri on the Moses Carver plantation. His parents were slaves. His father died right before George was born, then while he was still a baby, slave traders kidnapped him and his mother. Only George was returned to the plantation. When he was a baby, he had a disease called whooping cough. It left him sickly and he couldn't do hard work like the other slaves. His chores were cooking and sewing. He loved to work in the garden. He taught himself to read. His family was so poor, he couldn't afford to buy a pencil, so he made a holder and used a pencil that was only 1/4 inch long.
Ulysses S Grant was an iconic figure in the Civil War and was well known for his astounding feats throughout the war.(World book Advanced) While Ulysses S. Grant is the name he is most commonly known as, his real name is Hiram Ulysses Grant and the S. stands for nothing.(Ulysses S. Grant Homepage) Ulysses graduated from West Point with high marks in Horsemanship and Mathematics, but he had poor grades in classes like French. Grant fell in love with his roommate's sister Julia Dent, but sadly he was called to serve at the start of the Mexican War. Once the war was over he was soon positioned in the West, away from his family. When Ulysses left the army, he tried, and failed, at several walks of life, like farming, before the Civil War.
A number of the decisions and actions undertaken not only during the course of Jackson’s presidency, but also as a pre-political individual alone, depict a man certainly capable of a villainous description. While one could attempt to describe Andrew Jackson as a hero, one would be required to ignore repeatedly documented events and personal accounts to the contrary. However, a successful counterargument resides in the fact that, in trivial terms, history is not black-and-white. Oftentimes, history is perceived through two viewpoints. The first observes history where morals and beliefs are not entered into the equation. To use American history as a template, many historical figures, such as Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln, are represented as unblemished and faultless; the focus is primarily placed on intelligent, influential quotes and political achievements. The second viewpoint represents the same individuals as flawed and human, straying far from the untarnished and blameless leaders of the first example; through the second point-of-view, personal dealings and character reside at the core. Neither of these methods of studying history is necessarily false, as neither promotes false information. However, within itself, history is unbiased, and the legacy of America’s seventh president lies in between these two often-employed viewpoints. As
Jefferson died with dignity and Grant returned to Bayonne believing he could make a difference. It is not clear that religion, a belief in God, made the difference for either of them. It is clear that as they struggled with the issue of a higher power, they did discover that the meaning of their lives was not attached to the white man’s beliefs and myths, but rather came from inside themselves. To the end, they both struggled with whether or not there was a God. As they end their journey together, Jefferson is at peace and becomes a hero in his community. Though Grant cannot be a hero, he does find his place and returns to the schoolhouse with new hope and a vision for making a difference, if not for himself, for his students. He doubts himself at times, but he gains determination for his students. "Yet they must believe. They must believe, if only to free the mind, if not the body. Only when the mind is free has the body a chance to be free. Yes, they must believe. They must believe. Because I know what it means to be a slave. I am a slave" (Gaines 251)
Grant remained a child at heart throughout his life, and seems never to have realized that he was one. His faith in the goodness of humanity was unbounded, and he was taken advantage of. His simplicity of nature was remarkable, yet this simplicity was the mainspring of his success; certainly it was the first asset of his generalship. While McClellan could see nothing beyond his own operations and Halleck nothing outside of his textbooks, Grant saw things as they were, uncontaminated by his ideas or anyone elses. He saw that the entire problem of winning the civil war was nothing more than an equation between pressure and resistance. The side which pressed the hardest along the lines of least resistance was going to win.
A military genius, Grant possessed the vision to see that modern warfare requires total application of military and economic strength and was thus able to lead the Union to victory. In civilian life, however, he was unable to provide the leadership necessary for a growing industrial nation, even though he always retained the affection of the American public.
" 'It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.'-"-George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver paved the way for agriculturists to come. He always went for the best throughout his whole life. He didn't just keep the best for himself; he gave it away freely for the benefit of mankind. Not only did he achieve his goal as the world's greatest agriculturist, but also he achieved the equality and respect of all. George Washington Carver was born near Diamond Grove, Missouri in 1864. He was born on a farm owned by Moses and Susan Carver. He was born a sick, weak baby and was unable to work on the farm. His weak condition started when a raiding party kidnapped him with his mom. He was returned to the Carver's farm with whooping cough. His mother had disappeared and the identity of his father was unknown, so the Carver's were left to care for him and his brother James. Here on the farm is where George first fell in love with plants and Mother Nature. He had his own little garden in the nearby woods where he would talk to the plants. He soon earned the nickname, "The Plant Doctor," and was producing his own medicines right on the farm. George's formal education started when he was twelve. He had, however, tried to get into schools in the past but was denied on the basis of race.
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteen president of the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He was born in a little town called Hadin County, located in Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln’s parents were born in Virginia. Abraham Lincoln had four children’s their names were: Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. His wife name is Mary Todd Lincoln. Everybody in the north wanted Abraham Lincoln as their president because they didn’t want slavery in their country. When Abraham Lincoln took office a month later a war started against the south. This war is called the Civil War. The Union army against the confederate’s army fought the battle. This battle began in April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter located in South Carolina. Abraham Lincoln was the leader of the north also called the Union. He wanted to end slavery in the south because he wanted for every man to be treated equally. Well the south disagree with Abraham Lincoln because the south believe in slavery and they were there own country. So according to that whatever Abraham Lincoln does in the north it would not effect the south. Abraham Lincoln was trying to end slavery by making the Election of 1860. He was going against abolitionist from the south. Well the election of 1860 did not go as plan, the south refuse to end slavery and they could careless what Abraham Lincoln had to say about it. The general of the south at this time was Robert E. Lee. He was a great general but Abraham Lincoln was way better than he ever was. Abraham Lincoln made a plan since the south did not want to end slavery. Abraham Lincoln was going to block the Atlantic Ocean so the south would not trade with other countries in the world...
George Washington Carver was born into slavery January of 1860 on the Moses Carver plantation in Diamond Grove, Missouri. He spent the first year of his life, the brutal days of border war, between Missouri and neighboring Kansas. George was a very sickly child with a whooping cough, which later lead to his speech impediment, and he was tiny and puny. George's father, James Carver, died in a wood hauling accident when he was bringing wood to his master's house one day. George was sick a great deal during his early years. In 1861, when George was one year old, raiders kidnapped him and his mother with horses from their home in Missouri. Moses Carver, Mary's master, heard that a bushwhacker named Bentley knew Mary's whereabouts along with little George's. Moses offered him 40 acres of his best timberland and Pacer, one of his best horses. Bentley accepted the offer and started in pursuit all the way into Arkansas. Bentley returned a few days later only with young George in a bundle and no sign of Mary. A few years later, in spring, little George was in the woods scraping at the earth. When someone was sick George gathered roots, herbs, and bark, which he boiled to make medicines. Carver grew to be a student of life and a scholar, despite the illness and frailty of his early childhood. Because he was not strong enough to work in the fields, he helped with household chores and gardening. Probably because of these duties and because of the hours he would spend exploring the woods around his home, he developed a keen interest in plants at an early age. Neighbors called George the Plant Doctor because he made house to house calls in Diamond Grove to prescribe for ailing plants. George had his own mini garden where he nursed sick plants b...