"u. s. grant," hattie says, "what do we make of it?"

amos ponders, eyes on the sweep of meadow. "we wait. we work."

"do we hope. do we dare?"

"when samuel raises the fourth wall, splits and lays shakes,

we will do as we have always done, we will join together,

hold meeting, have faith."

"amos, answer me. do we dare?"

but amos is somewhere else, thoughts lost in the past,

perhaps in the future. hope? dare we hope, any of us?

"we wait. we work. we take shelter

in our community, in this land, in good men and good women,

in our children. dare we hope?

that is too large a question for the likes of me. u. s. grant

is a man and this country is torn." 

~

Ulysses S Grant, Civil War General, and 18th President of the U. S., took office during Reconstruction, a post Civil War period of intense racial and social strife. Grant succeeded Andrew Johnson, the 17th President, who became President after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Johnson, a southerner, supported full restoration of the seceded Southern states. He opposed the 14th amendment, granting citizenship to freed slaves. He was impeached for firing a sitting Cabinet member, but acquitted by one vote. He served one term, followed by Grant’s election. Johnson was re-elected to the Senate in 1875, from the state of Tennessee.