VOA新闻杂志2023--Ulysses S. Grant: Well-Meaning

Ulysses S. Grant: Well-Meaning

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about Ulysses S. Grant. He took office in 1869.

But his presidency² is not what made him famous. Grant is best remembered for being the commander of Union forces at the end of the Civil War. He led the United States to victory over the Confederate States of America.

Many Americans also remember Grant because of the unusual story about his middle initial.

When the future 18th president was born, his parents named him Hiram Ulysses Grant. But the boy was known as Ulysses.

When Grant was a young man, a member of Congress appointed him to a top college: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

The congressman³ did not know Grant personally. He thought Grant used his mother's family name, Simpson, as his middle name. So the congressman called him Ulysses S. Grant.

The middle initial "S" became official. Years later, Grant joked that it did not mean anything.

During the Civil War, however, Grant's middle name did come to have a popular meaning. In a famous battle in the state of Tennessee, Grant's army overpowered their opponents.

The Confederate general sent a note asking for the terms of surrender -- in other words, what would the Union army require of them if they withdrew from the battle?

General Grant replied: "No terms except unconditional⁴ and immediate⁵ surrender."

The answer did not please the Confederate general, but he agreed.

In the North, people celebrated⁶ the victory. They began saying Grant's first two initials stood for "Unconditional Surrender."

Early life

Grant was born in the state of Ohio. He was the oldest of six children.

Grant's father worked as a tanner – a person who makes leather from animal skin.

As a boy, Grant helped his father. But he did not like the work. He said he would not do it when he was an adult.

So, when Grant was a young man, his father asked West Point officials to admit his son as a student. The Grants had little money to pay for the boy's college education. But they knew he was intelligent and skilled, and West Point was free. In exchange for their education, West Point graduates serve in the military.

Grant probably did not seem like a soldier. He was quiet and sensitive. He hated seeing men die in battle, and he questioned the value of war.

But he turned out to be an excellent military leader. After he graduated from West Point, he fought in the Mexican War and earned medals for bravery. He was given more power and added responsibilities.

However, Grant was lonely. Early in his career, he married Julia Dent¹, the sister of a college friend. He was devoted⁷ to Julia and their four children.

But his family could not come with Grant on all his deployments for the military. They were separated for years at a time.

Without his family nearby, Grant began having problems with money. Some people said he also drank too much alcohol.

One day, Grant resigned from the army.

He returned home to his family. At first, he tried to farm, but he could not make enough money. Then he tried other jobs.

Finally, he asked his father for help. His father gave him a job, but it was the one the young Grant swore he never wanted: working in a leather shop.

Civil War

Then things took a surprising turn. The Civil War began. The Union needed experienced military leaders.

Grant accepted a position leading a difficult group of troops. He was able to train them and earn their respect.

Quickly, Grant's public image as a military leader grew. He won major victories for the Union in battles at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, liked the way Grant planned the battles. He also liked that Grant did everything he could to win. Grant permitted so many of his soldiers to die that his critics gave him a nickname: The Butcher.

Grant's methods were harsh, but effective. The Civil War effectively ended when the famous Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

The following year, Grant was named general of the U.S. armies. The only other person to hold that position was the military leader during the Revolutionary War, George Washington.

Presidency

Like George Washington, Grant became president although he did not really seek the position.

But Republican Party leaders realized that the former general was very popular. And they knew that Grant opposed the policies of the president at the time, Andrew Johnson.

So the Republicans nominated Grant as their candidate in 1868. He won easily.

But Grant's popularity and ability as a military leader did not make him a successful president.

Grant tried to work for the political and civil rights of African-Americans, many of whom had been enslaved. One of Grant's most important acts was to support the 15th Amendment⁸ to the U.S. Constitution. The measure gave African-American men the right to vote.

At the same time, Grant tried to give states control over their own laws. So, sometimes he used the power of the federal government to protect the rights of African-Americans. And he sometimes let states use violence to prevent African-Americans from exercising their rights.

Grant also spoke⁹ about treating Native Americans with greater respect. He used government resources to help native people become farmers.

But other government policies helped white settlers continue to push tribes off their lands.

Few Native Americans saw their lives really improve under Grant.

Finally, his administration suffered because of corrupt¹⁰ government officials. Grant himself did not get rich from their actions. But he remained loyal to people who worked for him, even when they profited from their position.

As a result of all this, many Americans lost interest in Reconstruction¹¹ and lost faith in the federal government.

But Grant himself remained popular. He won a second term more easily than the first.

Shortly after, the country entered a bad economic depression. Grant tried to improve the situation by supporting the gold standard. But many Americans – of all backgrounds – continued to suffer.

Legacy¹²

Because of the problems in his government, Grant is not remembered as one of the country's best presidents.

But he is remembered as a war hero and as a kind-hearted man with an interesting life.

In his last months, Grant worked nearly nonstop on writing his memoirs¹³. Final images show him, covered in a blanket and with a pen in his hand, diligently¹⁴ working.

Grant died in 1885, a few days after the book was finished. It was a major success. It earned enough money to provide for his family for the rest of their lives.

People across the country mourned the loss of Grant. More than a million and a half watched his funeral parade in New York City. He is buried there, along with his beloved wife, in a well-known memorial popularly called Grant's Tomb.

Words in This Story

initial - n. a first letter of a name

graduate - n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

devoted - adj. having strong love or loyalty¹⁵ for something or someone

shop - n. a building or room where goods and services are sold

resources - n. a supply of something (such as money) that someone has and can use when it is needed

gold standard - n. a system in which a unit of money (such as the dollar) is equal to a particular amount of gold

diligently - adv. working carefully and continuously

1 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

7 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

11 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

12 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

13 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

15 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。