Although the order was quickly rescinded by a horrified Abraham Lincoln, the scandal came back to haunt Grant when he ran for president in 1868. Never before had Jews become an issue in a presidential contest, and never before had they been confronted so publicly with the question of how to balance their "American" and "Jewish" interests. Award-winning historian Jonathan D. Sarna gives us the first complete account of this little-known episode including Grant's subsequent apology, his groundbreaking appointment of Jews to prominent positions in his administration, and his unprecedented visit to the Land of Israel. The book sheds new light on one of our most enigmatic presidents, on the Jews of his day, and on America itself.
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Background Information
Ulysses S. Grant rose from obscurity to head the victorious Union army in the Civil War and later became President.