Grant and Wilson I Propose That Doing

Grant and Wilson

I propose that doing a comparison of Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Woodrow Wilson would allow for a comprehensive understanding of how the leadership styles of these two men shaped the United States of America during their respective administrations. They will be compared in terms of their public and political leadership, how they functioned as Chief Executive and the leader of the Executive Branch, and how they functioned as Chief Legislator including their relationship with Congress.

Public and Political Leader:

During his initial run for office, Grant was a very popular man with the American public. He was considered a hero of the Civil War. His accomplishments included expansion of Republicanism into the south which yielded the first elections of black Congressmen. However, his administration was marred by corruption and he has gone down in history as one of the least effective presidents politically (Wilentz 2010).

Like Grant, Wilson was a very popular man upon his election. Although not a war hero, Wilson was a former President of Princeton University. In that position he had shown himself to be concerned with the plight of underfunded students and to limit the amount of finance-based selectivity throughout the college. Wilson's campain promised a "New Freedom" which would limit government power and curtail the business monopolies heretofore unchecked power (Link 1945).

Chief Executer and Leader of the Executive Branch:

A perfect example of how Grant functioned as a leader was during the Panic of 1873. A worldwide economic depression made its way to the U.S. And resulted in the closing of several banks and a total shut down of the New York Stock Exchange. Many companies, including large railroads which thousands of employees, went bankrupt. Grant was judged to have done little to prevent the panic and to have acted very slowly after the bank crashes which led to increased public distress (Smith 2001).

As a leader, Wilson attempted to be an example to the rest of the nation. Unlike many presidents, there is little scandal that is attached to his name. Perhaps his one failing, besides the inability to unite Congress after World War I was in the fact that although an unprecedented number of African-Americans left the Democratic party to vote for Wilson, he did nothing to satiate them or to aid with the racist Jim Crow laws in the south. In fact, he pledged to Southern Democrats that these were state issues and would not be dealt with in Washington, D.C. (Blackmon 2009).

Chief Legislator:

Much of Grant's administration dealt with the subject of Reconstruction and trying to rebuild the south following the Civil War. As the head of the Executive Branch of the government, he instilled a policy of racial harmony, aiding black Americans to be franchised and offering citizenship to Native Americans. Also, despite a history of potential anti-Semitic behaviors, he appointed several Jewish people to the government, more than any other President up until that time. He signed bills regarding Civil Rights and prevented the punishment of former Confederates in order to reinstate peace.