Depending on one's point of view, Grant was the victorious General, or the brutal killer; the inept but honest President trying to implement the northern vision of the war, or the imposer of hated "Republican Rule" on a helpless, defeated region. Ironically, by the time of his death, Grant had become as much a symbol of national reconciliation as he was earlier a symbol of Union victory.
Our speaker suggests that the rise and fall of his reputation/myth parallels the rise and fall, and the fate, of the Northern "story" of the Civil War (the Union Cause), that for much of the 20th century was overshadowed in the popular mind by the "Lost Cause."

Our presentation this month examines the historical reputation of General Ulysses S. Grant, who played an essential role in the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

Our speaker is Professor Joan Waugh of the UCLA History Department. She researches and writes about nineteenth-century America, specializing in Civil War and Reconstruction. Waugh's presentation on Grant will be taken from her next project, a study of the myth and memory of General Ulysses S. Grant. Professor Waugh has been interviewed for many documentaries, including the PBS series, "American Experience" on Ulysses S. Grant first shown in 2002. Waugh teaches the "Civil War and Reconstruction," and "America from 1865-1900" undergraduate lecture courses at UCLA. These courses regularly attract from 200-400 students. Waugh has been honored with three awards for her teaching, including UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004.

Come and get an in-depth look at Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and how history has remembered him.

 

Janet Whaley
Program Chair

 

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