Historian and author Charles W. Calhoun will discuss his book, “The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant,” at Seamen’s Church Institute in Newport, Rhode Island on Feb. 1 at noon.
As controversial in politics as he was in the military, Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was an embattled president, enormously popular with the American people yet the target of unrelenting censure by political enemies. This book lecture will examine the Grant administration in depth, offering a fresh look at the 18th president’s policies and actions during his two terms in office (1869–1877).
The discussion with look at the administration’s endeavors in a variety of areas, to include: reconstruction and civil rights, economic policy, the peace policy for Native Americans, foreign policy, and civil service reform. It will also examine the scandals associated with the period, highlighting the “embattled” nature of Grant’s presidency and the deep antagonism that marked his relations with key critics such as Charles Sumner, Henry Adams and Benjamin Bristow.
Calhoun is a historian who specializes in the political history of the United States from 1865 to 1900. He holds a B.A. in history from Yale University and a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University. In 2014 he retired as Thomas Harriot college distinguished professor of history at East Carolina University. He is the author of six books and the editor of four others. He is also the founder and past president of the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and has held several research grants, including a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, call Liz DeLucia, Director of Education, at (401) 841-7276
For more information about The Seamen's Church Institute, visit http://seamensnewport.org/