The imperishable story of Grant's presidency was his campaign to crush the Ku Klux Klan. Though the Klan, white supremacists tried to overturn the Civil War's outcome and restore the status quo ante. No southern sheriff would arrest the hooded night riders who terrorized black citizens and no southern jury would convict them. Grant had to cope with a complete collapse of evenhanded law enforcement in the erstwhile Confederate states. In 1870 he oversaw creation of the Justice Department, its first duty to bring thousands of anti-Klan indictments.
Ulysses S. Grant staunch enemy of the Ku Klux Klan and founder of the Justice Department. Who knew?
Excellent book, we went to Grant's Cottage in New York several weeks ago to see the place where he finished his memoirs. Chernow does a great job with biography.
ReplyDeleteRead a couple of his books and enjoying this so far. Really enjoyed House of Morgan
ReplyDelete