A generation or two ago, Andrew Johnson was regarded as a kind of martyr for having been impeached and Grant as one of the worst presidents.
But now they've changed places. Johnson was strongly against civil rights measures and Grant was for them -- probably not by today's standards, but by those of his day. At least, he didn't wimp out or sell out like Hayes and later presidents did, so his stock has risen.
I don't know where I'd rate Grant, but it's certainly true that mid-20th century historians played up the corruption of Grant's and Harding's administration because they were Republicans. Democrats like Truman got a pass on administrative scandals.
A generation or two ago, Andrew Johnson was regarded as a kind of martyr for having been impeached and Grant as one of the worst presidents.
But now they’ve changed places. Johnson was strongly against civil rights measures and Grant was for them — probably not by today’s standards, but by those of his day. At least, he didn’t wimp out or sell out like Hayes and later presidents did, so his stock has risen.
I don’t know where I’d rate Grant, but it’s certainly true that mid-20th century historians played up the corruption of Grant’s and Harding’s administration because they were Republicans. Democrats like Truman got a pass on administrative scandals.
This revision of Grant’s and Andrew Johnson’s positions does not fit with the bias toward Dims and against Republicans that some have mentioned.
Andrew Johnson was a Unionist Democrat from Tennessee, while Grant, of course, was a Republican.
I think it is due to historians revising their opinion toward post Civil War Reconstruction. Johnson opposed the Radical Republicans and their efforts at Reconstruction giving more rights to Southern Blacks (that was part of the reason for his impeachment), while Grant favored Reconstruction.
It may be that as America becomes more Afro-Centric the intellectual elitists are looking more favorably toward Reconstruction. What’s probably happening is a revision of historians’ views toward Reconstruction (and A. Johnson and Grant) in preparation for the coming minority rule in America.
Actually Truman gets a pass on conducting a war against communists(korea) while many communists in FDR's administration were working for him..
The great hero Joe McCarthy fought to expose them.. and did in a few places.. But it took later research in Moscow in KGB archives to prove McCarthy had no idea the depths of the espionage under Truman.. Joe Stalin financed the American Communist party.. which allowed stealing of Atom Bomb secrets.. under Truman..
Another moron was JFK...