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President Ulysses S. Grant Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1873 John Y. Simon, ed., The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000), 24:60–64. In his second inaugural address, Grant touched on some of the themes of his first inaugural—reunion within the country and economic growth. By 1873, the process of Reconstruction had slowed and a number of the southern states had thrown off their Reconstructiongovernmentsand “redeemed”themselves,becomingessentially all-white governments run by the Democratic Party. Regardless, Grant remained optimistic that the United States would continue its unique mission in the world as an example of self-government under law. As he put it, “It is my firm conviction that the civilized world is tending toward republicanism, or government by the people through their chosen representatives, and that our own great republic is destined to be the guiding star to all others.” No Pollyanna, Grant also understood that all was not entirely well within the country. He chided the South (and the country generally) for its treatment of the African American community. He wrote, “The effects of the late civil strife have been to free the slave and make him a citizen. Yet he is not possessed of the civil rights which citizenship should carry with it. This is wrong and should be corrected.” But limits existed; Grant assured his audience that he did not imply that African Americans should be guaranteed “social equality.” He did not support special rights for black people, at the time called “class legislation.” Like everyone else, African Americans needed a “fair chance” in life, access to education, and “when he travels let him feel assured that his conduct will regulate the treatment and fare he will receive,” argued Grant, reflecting the majority white sentiment at the time. Grant then spoke at length about the issue of “Santo Domingo ,” a controversy that had caused a good deal of turmoil during his first term in office. He then returned to older themes: the “money question” and the treatment and future of the American Documentary History of the American Civil War Era 390 Indian population. In the conclusion, referring to the political scandals of his first administration, Grant allowed himself to fire back at his many critics, suggesting that his re-election should quiet them. If he believed his own rhetoric, then Grant was in for a surprise over the next four years of his second administration. Fellow Citizens: Under Providence I have been called a second time to act as Executive over this great nation. It has been my endeavor in the past to maintain all the laws, and, so far as lay in my power, to act for the best interests of the whole people. My best efforts will be given in the same direction in the future, aided I trust, by my four years experience in the office. When my first term of the office of Chief Executive began, the country had not recovered from the effects of a great internal revolution, and three of the former states of the Union had not been restored to their federal relations. It seemed to me wise that no new questions should be raised so long as that condition of affairs existed, therefore the past four years, so far as I could control events, have been consumed in the effort to restore harmony, public credit, commerce and all the arts of peace and progress. It is my firm conviction that the civilized world is tending toward republicanism, or government by the people through their chosen representatives, and that our own great republic is destined to be the guiding star to all others. Under our republic we support an Army less than that of any European Power of any standing, and a Navy less than that of either of at least five of them. There could be no extension of territory on the continent which would call for an increase of this force, but rather might such extension enable us to diminish it. The theory of government changes with general progress. Now that the telegraph is made available for communicating thought, together with rapid transit by steam, all parts of a continent are made contiguous for all purposes of government, and communication between the extreme limits of the country made easier than it was throughout the old thirteen States at the beginning of our national existence. The effects of the late civil strife have been to free the slave and make...

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