Book Review: When General Grant Expelled the Jews

[osprey_archer]

In December 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered the expulsion of all Jews from the territories controlled by his Army of the Tennessee. Before the order was widely promulgated, Lincoln insisted that Grant rescind it, but the order nonetheless haunted both Grant’s career and his conscience for the rest of his life.

I’ve been reading Jonathan D. Sarna’s book, When General Grant Expelled the Jews, which details both the incidence and Grant’s repentance, and thinking about repentance in general. It’s common for people to dig up intemperate things that their political and academic opponents said twenty years ago, and to behave as if said opponents are forever sullied by that belief, and moreover are doomed continue believing it forever.

And I think the first is true: a sufficiently ugly action is an indelible stain on the character. Grant forever felt guilty about his order, and his consciousness of guilt led him to change his views. He apologized for the order - after his election, which bespeaks both integrity and sincerity. He meant his apology, and it was so important to him that those he had wronged should know his apology was sincere that he didn’t apologize till he couldn’t gain anything from it.

Moreover, he backed up his words with actions. Grant went on to appoint more Jews to public office than any former president, attend the opening of a synagogue (the first president to do so), and took a firmer stand against organized anti-Semitic violence in Europe than any of his predecessors. When he died, one of his pallbearers was a rabbi.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

There was a really great commentary by Scott Simon (the NPR Saturday morning host) some weeks ago about how people get all over politicians for flip flopping, but how we **want** people to change their mind if they see they've made a mistake. He went on to talk about politicians who had. I sometimes find his tone overly moralizing, but I liked that piece.

Glad to read this--thanks.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Do you remember which politicians he mentioned?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I found the actual essay: "Can a Change of Heart Beat the Flip-Flop Charge?" (http://www.npr.org/2012/05/12/152561670/can-change-of-heart-beat-the-flip-flop-charge)