WI: Grant assassinated by a white supremacist?

Ulysses Grant cracked down on the Klu Klux Klan during his presidency, keeping them from reforming until the 1910s. What if, in revenge for that policy and for Reconstruction in general, he had been shot by a white supremacist? Would the death of not one, but two, of the Union's greatest heroes at the hands of racist Southerners in 10 years galvanize the public or Congress not to let Reconstruction wither on the vine? What would a Colfax or (Henry) Wilson Presidency look like? Does this butterfly away the corruption in the Grant administration?
 
I think corruption was kind of endemic to the spoils system we used to man our bureaucracy at the time. That said, this would make the Republicans 2 for 2 in terms of having their Presidents killed by Southern extremists. There would certainly be calls for reprisal of some sort, although it's hard to imagine what that could be, exactly.
 
With a few honorable exceptions, basically every one in that time period was a white supremacist, including Lincoln and Grant.

It would still have an effect, though, but I think not a dramatic one. I think it would lead to a somewhat longer Reconstruction with some positive effects, but still mostly ending up in the same place, just a little later.
 
With a few honorable exceptions, basically every one in that time period was a white supremacist, including Lincoln and Grant.

It would still have an effect, though, but I think not a dramatic one. I think it would lead to a somewhat longer Reconstruction with some positive effects, but still mostly ending up in the same place, just a little later.
Douglas was a white supremacist! :p

I'm just joking, of course. I get what you mean. I think the OP is essentially talking about those who would have supported the CSA and vehemently opposed any rights for African-Americans.
 
Douglas was a white supremacist! :p

I'm just joking, of course. I get what you mean. I think the OP is essentially talking about those who would have supported the CSA and vehemently opposed any rights for African-Americans.


But practically speaking, it also includes those in the north who were content for the latter to run the South as long as they didn't go trying to bust up the Union again.

That was most people in the north, and the shooting of a President would have changed them only momentarily, if at all.
 
With a few honorable exceptions, basically every one in that time period was a white supremacist, including Lincoln and Grant.

It would still have an effect, though, but I think not a dramatic one. I think it would lead to a somewhat longer Reconstruction with some positive effects, but still mostly ending up in the same place, just a little later.

Agreed. Just because much of the Union was against slavery didn't mean they weren't racist as hell. I suspect Grant's assassination will be seen as revenge for the war rather than anything to do with race.
 
Top