Administration concepts and applications

Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Woodrow Wilson were members of opposing parties and served their country during different periods in history but there were some similarities that prove to be interesting. Grant was a Republican who rode the popularity of his service as a general in the Civil War to the steps of the White House (Smith, 2001). He began his presidency as popular as any man in America and ended his presidency in disgrace. Wilson, meanwhile, was not a war hero or a hero of any kind when he entered office but, like Grant, he left office a broken man, barely holding onto life, who failed to live up to the promise that he brought with him eight years earlier.

Neither Grant nor Wilson was a career politician. Grant had been spent a large portion of his adult years in the military but had also tried his hand at farming and business. His endeavors outside the military were largely unsuccessful and the outbreak of the Civil War probably saved his professional career. Wilson, on the other hand, enjoyed great success in nearly everything that he did prior to being elected president. As a lawyer, college history professor, university president, Governor Wilson was a modern day Renaissance man (Cooper, 2011). Wilson remains the only president in U.S. history to possess a Ph.D. and, unlike who Grant who was swept into office on the coattails of his Civil War victory, Wilson stumbled in due to an acrimonious split in the Republican Party that saw sitting President, William Howard Taft, facing off against former President, Theodore Roosevelt.

Both Grant and Wilson worked tirelessly to lead the country in efforts that were unpopular but that both felt were important for the welfare of the nation. Grant had the misfortune of being President during the throes of the Reconstruction (Mantell, 1973). In the wake of the Civil War, the nation was bitterly split as to how the South should be treated. Many wanted strict enforcement of the terms of Reconstruction through the use of a strong military presence in the South while others wanted to allow the South to manage its own affairs. Grant, remarkably, was against a strong military presence but faithfully executed the policy of his fellow Republicans in Congress and utilized the military to enforce Reconstruction against the former Confederate states.

Wilson fought hard against the United States becoming embroiled in the affairs of Europe that led to the First World War (Livermore, 1966). His efforts in this regard were subject to much criticism from the nation's Republicans who felt that the United States should be preparing itself for involvement in the War. Wilson withstood most of the criticisms as he successfully kept the United States out of the early stages of the War but the issue became a major focus of Wilson's attempt at re-election. He narrowly defeated New York Governor Charles Evan Hughes to win a second term but his efforts at keeping the country out of the War soon failed. Early in his second term of office, Wilson finally determined that the U.S. needed to become involved in the War in order to make "the world safe for democracy (Wilson, 1917).

Like Grant before him, Wilson was entrusted with the responsibility of rebuilding following a war but Wilson's responsibilities were far more widespread. Grant's only concern was in how to treat the belligerent South subsequent to the Civil War while Wilson was entrusted with the responsibility of restricting the world following the end of the First World War. Wilson had introduced his proposal for this process in a speech before a joint session of Congress. The proposal, which came to be known as "The Fourteen Points," outlined how Wilson envisioned the political affairs that had caused the outbreak of the First World War being resolved. As the War began to wind down and peace negotiations began, Wilson played a key role in the process. He sought an equitable end to the hostilities and worked tirelessly toward such end and many of his proposals were ultimately accepted including his idea of a League of Nations but Wilson's influence on the international stage proved to be more persuasive than his influence at home. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War and which Wilson played a key part in negotiating, was never ratified by the U.S. Congress and, as a result, the United States never became a member of the League of Nations.

Wilson's behavior in reaction to opposition in Congress regarding the Versailles Treaty, in general, and the League of Nations portion of that Treaty, specifically, may be the best indication of the similarities between himself and President Grant. Both men had a strong stubborn streak that often interfered with their otherwise competent leadership skills. In Grant's case, his stubbornness was characterized by his misguided loyalty to his friends and military associates. Throughout his two administrations, Grant continued to surround himself with his friends and former military associates and place such individuals in positions of authority instead of utilizing the services of talented and experienced politicians. The result was that his relationship with Congress suffered and his administrations were fraught with numerous and, seemingly, endless scandals. Because he refused to listen to his political advisors, Grant's two terms of office are looked upon by most historical experts as being largely ineffective.

Wilson's stubbornness manifested itself throughout his tenure in office but until the end of his second term never was the source of any particular political detriment, however, his stance on the League of Nations tainted a Presidency that otherwise was considered successful. Through most of his eight years in office Wilson had effectively led the country and, despite being unsuccessful in keeping the country out of the First World War, was viewed favorably by the public. The battle of the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, however, proved to be the political undoing of Wilson and, ultimately, it proved to be his physical undoing as well. Wilson worked as hard at attempting to convince the American public as to the merits of the League of Nations as he had in convincing the rest of the world of its merits but in his efforts to do so Wilson lost his political and physical viability. Worn down, Wilson suffered a severe stroke in October of 1919 and spent the last year in office disabled from its effects.