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Ulysses S. Grant Information Center: For Students

Information about General and President Ulysses S. Grant and resources for doing research. Includes material suitable for the K-12 audience.

Age Appropriate Material

Material on this page is considered appropriate for grades 5-12, although certainly information in this entire website on Ulysses S. Grant may serve students well also.

Grant's Life Story in Outline Form, by Frank Scaturro, President of the Grant Monument Association

Videos About Grant

Two part biography from PBS. 1 hour 45 minutes.

History Corner, Ulysses S. Grant, from Clermont County, Ohio. His accomplishments as General and President. How his legacy is being revised today.  Excellent video. 12 minutes. 

Historian Jean Edward Smith discusses the top five things to know about Grant. 3.5 minutes.

Fast Facts About Grant from the UK. 3.5 minutes.

Grant in Four Minutes from the Civil War Trust. Grant impersonator narrates his life.

Grant from the Disney Company. Mostly favorable. 3 minutes.

Look on Youtube for many more videos about Grant.

U. S. Grant: a True American Hero

Grant and the U. S. Army

Grant went from being a Colonel with an Illinois Volunteer Regiment in June of 1861 to Lieutenant General in charge of all the Northern Civil War armies in February of 1864. You can learn more about this remarkable series of promotions with these two items.

Bibliography of Good Books About Grant

This is a link to LibraryThing. Here you will find a pre-constructed list of useful books about Grant.

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Encyclopedia Articles and Biographies on the Internet

  International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008. Article on Grant by Brooks Simpson, Ph.D., noted Grant scholar. Warning: there are advertisements on this website.
  Wikipedia. Very complete and documented article.
  New World Encyclopedia
 Dictionary of Missouri Biography

Other Resources

Overview of Grant's Life for Younger Students from the Ulysses S. Grant National Site.
Biography of Grant for Younger Students from the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Biography of Grant on the White House website.
Biography (brief) from the National Park Service.
Biography from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia
Biography from the Civil War Trust
Teacher's Guide to Cobblestone Magazine's 2006 Issue on U. S. Grant.
 

Fast Facts About Ulysses S. Grant

  • Born: April 27, 1822, Point Pleasant, Ohio
  • Parents: Jesse Root Grant (1794-1873) and Hannah Simpson Grant (1798-1883). USG was their first child.
  • Brothers: Samuel Simpson Grant, 1825-1861. Orvil Lynch Grant, 1835-1881 (obituary).
  • Sisters: Rachel Clara Grant, 1828-1865. Virginia Paine Grant Corbin, 1832-1913. Mary Frances Grant Cramer, 1839-1905.
  • Children: Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850-April 12, 1912).    Ulysses "Buck" S. Grant, Jr. (July 22, 1852-Sept. 25, 1929).   Ellen "Nellie" Wrenshall Grant (July 4, 1855-August 30, 1922).   Jesse Root Grant, II (Feb. 6, 1858-June 8, 1934)
  • Went to West Point: 1839
  • Graduated from West Point: 1843
  • Mexican War: 1844-1846
  • Married, August 22, 1848 to Julia Dent Grant (Jan. 26, 1826-December 14, 1902)
  • Left the Army: 1854
  • Returned to the Army: 1861
  • Promoted to Lieutenant General of all Union Armies: March, 1864
  • Received Surrender from General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox: April 9, 1865
  • Elected President 1868 and 1872. Served from 1869 to 1877. Forty-six years old when first elected
  • Went on World Tour: 1877-1879
  • Died: July 23, 1885 of throat cancer at Mt. McGregor, New York. Age 63.
  • Link to a complete timeline from PBS's American Experience.
  • Link to Grant's complete military service from the Grant Presidential Library.