"Vote As You Shoot:" Cabinet of Ulysses S. Grant, 1869

After ravaging the South as the Lieutenant General and commander of Union armies (and a functional alcoholic), Grant was elected president, charged with rebuilding the parts of country he helped to destroy. Much like his campaign slogan, “Vote as You Shot,” Ulysses S. Grant conducted Reconstruction as if it were a war in itself. And what a war it was. From the tryst of Reconstruction to the economic collapse of the Long Depression to the Indian Wars of Custer to an attempted annexation of Santo Domingo and an attempted invasion of Korea (no we’re not kidding), Grant’s policy of surrounding himself with his best friends rather than political advisers produced a presidency that saw the country through its transition from the Civil War into the Gilded Age. We hope to simulate the controlled chaos of one of the most corrupt cabinets in United States history, a theme that we will emphasize by encouraging selfish behavior. This committee will focus on everything, inter alia, reconstruction, corruption, railroads, economic collapse and Native American relations. We look forward to reconstructing, re-destroying, and re-rebuilding God’s greatest gift to humanity at ChoMUN XVIII.

 

Background Guide

 

 

Chair - Greg Adams

Greg Adams is a second-year in the College majoring in Public Policy. Originally from Northern Virginia, he has enjoyed learning about the civil war and reconstruction since an early age. He has done Model U.N. since High School, staffing and participating in almost a dozen conferences. After staffing Boris Yeltsin’s Last Drink at ChoMUN XVII, he is very excited to finally chair a committee himself. When not doing MUN-related things, you can find Greg listening to classy country music and playing pick-up soccer.

Email: gregorytadams@gmail.com

 

Crisis Director - Alex Nye

Alexander Nye is a second year studying in Public Policy and Law, Letters & Society and is originally from Long Grove, Illinois, in the Northern suburbs of Chicago. After crisis directing for MUNUC's Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers at MUNUC, this will be his second time as a committee executive and his second time staffing ChoMUN. He has also confessed to being a Model UN "addict", both in high school and college. In fact, his decision to propose the Grant Cabinet was inspired by a series of discussions between the members of Stevenson High School's Model UN club regarding the effect of Sherman's March to the Sea on efforts at Reconstruction in the South. When he isn't nerding out over international politics or trying to improve his Arabic, he can be found in Linn-Mathews House listening to electro-swing or hanging out at AEPi.