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{{Short description|Political controversies of Ulysses S. Grant}}

{{About|the political controversies of Ulysses S. Grant|the racial policies of Madison Grant|Madison Grant}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
[[File:Brady-Handy - Ulysses S. Grant (3x4 cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Ulysses S. Grant]], after whom Grantism is named]]
{{Ulysses S. Grant series}}

'''Grantism''' is a derisive term of [[United States]] origin referring to the political incompetence, [[political corruption|corruption]], and [[fraud]], during the administration of President [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. His [[Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant|presidency]], which lasted from 1869 to 1877, was marred by many scandals and fraudulent activities associated with persons within his [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|administration]], including his [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet]], which was in continual transition, divided by the forces of political corruption and reform.<ref name=Hinsdale>{{cite book|last=Hinsdale|first=Mary Louise|year=1911 |url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorypreside01hinsgoog|quote=A history of the President's cabinet.|title=A History of the President's Cabinet|location=Ann Arbor, MI|publisher=G. Wahr|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorypreside01hinsgoog/page/n223 207], 212–213}}</ref> Among them were: [[Black Friday (1869)|Black Friday]], corruption in the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]], the [[Sanborn incident]], and the [[Whiskey Ring]]. (The [[Crédit Mobilier scandal]], although exposed during his tenure, is not considered a Grant scandal.)

Political opponents of Grant and proponents of the [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]] attacked him with the term ''Grantism''. Some historians defend Grant, noting that he established the [[United States Civil Service Commission|Civil Service Commission]], had reformers in his Cabinet, and ended the corrupt system of privateer tax collectors profiteering by taking a percentage of delinquent taxes. His enemies wanted to undermine the moral integrity of his administration and for his enforcement of [[African Americans|African American]] civil rights during [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]].

Grant, ever trusting of associates, was himself influenced by both forces. The standards in many of his appointments were low, and charges of corruption were widespread.<ref name=Hinsdale /> Although he was not directly involved with these scandals, the president's associations with people of questionable character and his reliance on [[cronyism]], [[nepotism]], and [[political patronage]] gave rise to accusations of "Grantism". Historians agree that corruption in the Grant administration was due to Grant's appointments of unqualified close friends and family members, and remain perplexed why he protected his personal secretary [[Orville E. Babcock]].

==Origins==
[[Image:Charles Sumner Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|U.S. Senator [[Charles Sumner]] (1851–1874) in a photograph by [[Mathew Brady]], 1865]]
The term "Grantism" was originally coined by a fellow [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Charles Sumner]] of [[Massachusetts]], in a speech on May 31, 1872, a presidential election year. It was used by Sumner to differentiate the Republican Party from Grant. The two men had been political enemies ever since Sumner's refusal to annex [[Dominican Republic|Santo Domingo]] to the United States. Sumner accused Grant of political patronage, nepotism, and being an autocrat like [[Julius Caesar]].

Sumner charged that Grant had hindered African American [[national sovereignty]] rights in the [[Caribbean]] with the proposal for the [[Proposed annexation of Santo Domingo|annexation of Santo Domingo]]. Sumner was also angry that Grant used his personal secretary to establish international relations with Santo Domingo, rather than acting through the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and [[United States Congress|Congress]]. Sumner summed up Grantism as a [[despotism|despotic]] government of "one man and his personal will".<ref>{{cite web |last=Sumner|first=Charles|title=Republicanism vs. Grantism|url=https://archive.org/stream/republicanismvsg00sumn#page/n1/mode/2up|date=May 31, 1872|publisher=Washington, F. & J. Rives & G. A. Bailey, printers}}</ref> The lengthy speech was used as the political platform for the [[Liberal Republican Party (United States)|Liberal Republican Party]] and launched the short-lived political career of [[Horace Greeley]] as the party's presidential candidate in the [[1872 United States presidential election]].

==Grant as reformer==
{{Further|Reforms of the Ulysses S. Grant administration}}
Historian Louis Arthur Coolidge noted that although Grant had critics, including Sumner, concerning presidential patronage, he was the first president to advocate and sign into law [[United States federal civil service|civil service]] reform legislation, doing the latter on March 4, 1871.<ref name="Coolidge pp. 399–400">Coolidge (1922), ''Ulysses S. Grant'', pp. 399–400</ref> Grant said that the "elevation and purification of civil service of the government will be hailed with approval by the whole people of the United States".<ref name="Coolidge pp. 399–400"/> The historians H. Wayne Morgan and [[Ari Hoogenboom]] say that Grant's presidential reputation for corruption has been exaggerated.<ref name="McFeely-Woodward pp. 133–134">McFeely-Woodward (1974), ''Responses of the Presidents to Charges of Misconduct'', pp. 133–134</ref> Grant placed leading reformer [[George William Curtis]] as head of the civil service commission set up to establish regulations, in order to ensure the best person qualified would hold office.<ref name="Coolidge pp. 399–400"/> In addition to signing the civil service reform, Grant first limited and eventually abolished the [[wiktionary:moiety|moiety]] system in which private citizens contracted as [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]] revenue agents and received a percentage of delinquent taxes assessed and collected.<ref name="McFeely-Woodward pp. 133–134"/>

==Modern definitions==
The Liberal Republicans called corruption in government "Grantism" from 1873 until 1875.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reconstruction The Second Civil War|website=[[PBS]]|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/sf_timeline2.html|date=December 19, 2003|access-date=August 29, 2017|archive-date=December 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217220544/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/sf_timeline2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Liberal Republicans ceased to exist after the reforming [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] assumed a majority in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1875 to 1881. After assuming control of the House for the [[44th United States Congress|44th Congress]], the Democrats launched a series of corruption investigations into the Grant administration from 1875 to 1876. Today, "Grantism" is defined as any political corruption and greed in government. During Grant's presidency, many of his associates took part in [[price skimming]] and [[tax evasion]]. More generally, "Grantism" may also refer to "[[big business]]" undermining democratic control of local and national government.

==References==
<references/>

{{Ulysses S. Grant}}

[[Category:Presidential scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Political corruption in the United States]]
[[Category:Grant administration controversies]]
[[Category:Eponymous political ideologies]]
[[Category:Lost Cause of the Confederacy]]