Ulysses S. Grant takes office as the 18th President of the United State for his first term on March 4,1869, succeeding Andrew Johnson.
He took office focusing on Reconstruction, protecting civil rights for freed slaves, and stabilizing the economy following the Civil War. In his inaugural address, Grant defined his priorities to be; the need to pay off war debt, restore financial stability by returning to a gold standard, and protect the rights of "the original occupants of the land" (Native Americans).Andrew Johnson did not attend the ceremony, marking the third time in history an outgoing president boycotted his successor's inauguration.
