Ulysses S. Grant, master military strategist and Union hero of the Civil War, was a terrible businessman and a popular, but somewhat hapless, president. His presidency was plagued by corruption and the failure of Reconstruction efforts to change the rights of former slaves. He allowed his advisers and Congress to control many of the events of the day. By his second term, financial improprieties came to light embroiling his administration in scandal, although the president's personal reputation remained untarnished. Learn more with this resource from American Experience: "The Presidents."