National park service. Was transferred to the National Park service and rename it general Grant National memorial since then we dedicated on preservative the final rest in place of elises s grant and his wife julia. By cheering the achievements of ulysses accomplishments during his lifetime as a civilian. Commanding general of the union army and 18 president of the United States as an officer elises s grant demonstrate the altitude to adapt his knowledge of tactics and strategies to change condition in the field. This superior ability led to ulysses as grand becoming the commander. Union Army Ultimate contributing to the victory and the civil war this themes would witch grant was helped by the American People led to his election to two terms as president of the United States. During his terms as president. Grant was dedicated to the cause of africanamerican rights native american rights for inch policy and public land preservation. As a general and a president Ulysses S Grant cultivate a lasting positive relationship with the Africanamerican Community by his support for immensation the enlistment of black troops to the union army, they ratification of the 15th amendments as well passing the enforcements act. This relationship with the africanamerican committed with signified with their substantial contributions throughout the constructions of grants tomb. Today we honor ulysses as grant. This is pretty designed as a mausoleum. Continue service as a symbol of the great admiration of a National Foreign military hero and president of the United States. Now i would like to introduce you to the mistress of ceremony. Good morning, everyone. I am very honored to be a part of this ceremony commemorating the birth of our 18th president. Lets begin with the presentation of colors followed by the National Anthem by west Point Academy cadets and the west point band please rise. Hello, there you. Hold everything please join in the singing of our National Anthem. Oh say can you see . By the dancers early light. Whats up . At the twilights last gleaming whos brought stripes and bright. Or the airports we watched were so good at least streaming. And theyre all kids through the night that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star spangled . You are the land of free that was lovely. Thank you. Please remain standing. We will now have the invocation from father matt pollakowski. Almighty god creator of humanity and lord of history you raise up heroes among us to inspire us. To live above the common level of life. People who live lives more lasting than bronze. Today we honor a man of such stature. Commanding general of all the union armies and then president Ulysses S Grant born blue collar and pricing up from the ranks of the middle class. He had calluses on his hands from farming and selling firewood. But kept his soul uncalled. From betrayal of Business Partners the slings of slander and suggestions of impropriety tenacious and battle from shiloh, vicksburg and chattanooga to battles in the wilderness and spotsylvania gracious and victory at appomattox with malice toward none and Charity Towards all sagacious and governments mindful of the feelings of fellow citizens recently vanquished. Continuing to fight fiercely for his four million fellow citizens long wrongs and recently released from the oppressive evil of chattel slavery. Result resisting the error and terror of the clan. And of other conniving cowards who would have undone the good that was one for all . Preserving the rights of voting for former slaves and protecting the land of our native nations. He served eight years in the highest public office. Ever enriching our country never enriching himself. Absolutely devoted to the welfare of his wife and family to the moment of his death. He spent his final days fighting the suffering of cancer. And writing his memoirs to ensure their wellbeing. After his passing during his whole life. He held up for all to see. Duty honor country thank you god. Forgiving us this man. At that time in history and for this opportunity to remember him and honor him today amen you may be seated. Thank you father Public Housing for that beautiful. Invocation we wont let the wind stop us today. I like to share a particular quote by grant. That i feel is appropriate given our times today. Although a soldier by profession i have never felt any sort of fondness for war. And i have never advocated it. Except as a means of peace. Grant tried to move our Society Forward and that included the expansion of our country. And so i bring forward diana linen representing the great state of, colorado. On behalf of governor, governor jared polis with a proclamation diana is from boulder, colorado where her ancestors were territorial families of colorado with diana. Also a member of that society. The berkeley family came to boulder in 1863. Diana has traveled 1785 miles to read this proclamation for the 22nd time. So i bring forward now diana lennon. On a personal note remembering my family my greatgreatgrandmother lydia huff. Nicklin, berkeley. Had a descendant benjamin huff and he married ulysses s. Grants sister. My greatgreatgrandmother is a cousin to the late president. The proclamation is quite attractive. May i now begin . State of colorado proclamation whereas on april 27th 2022 at grants tomb in New York New York the National Park service and the United States military academy at west point will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ulysses Simpson grant the 18th president of the United States and whereas at the centennial celebration of the United States of america at the worlds fair in philadelphia, pennsylvania, president Ulysses Grant announced that colorado would be the Centennial State. And whereas on august 1st 1876 president Ulysses Simpson grant from the oval office in washington dc dc proclaim, colorado to be the 38th state and whereas on july 4th. 2022 the United States of america will be celebrating 200 and 46th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence and whereas on august 1st 2022. Colorado will be celebrating a hundred and forty six years of statehood and whereas the Centennial State of. Colorado honors president Ulysses S Grant on his 200th birthday therefore i Jared Polis Governor of the state of colorado do hereby proclaim april the 27th 2022 as president Ulysses S Grant day in the state of colorado given under my hand and the executive seal of the state of colorado this 27th day of april 2022 jared polis, governor please note you may view proclamations from across the United States. On the grant memorial website, may i personally wish you mr. President a very very blessed birthday. God bless america. Thank you. And thank you for inviting me again this year. The first Grant Monument association was formed days after the president s death. Former president chester a arthur was its first president . But what many of you may not know . Was that richard t greener . First black graduate of harvard and political supporter of grant served as its first secretary from 1885 to 1892. Frank scaturro is the current president of the Grant Monument association mr. Scutorial is an American Lawyer historian and public advocate. He revised that association beginning in 1994 and he has a partner of the fisher broils law firm where he handled civil rights and commercial litigation. Lets welcome frank sutorial to the podium. Well, good morning. On behalf of the Grant Monument association. I want to thank all of you for being here today to commemorate the 200th birthday of president Ulysses S Grant a special thank you to the National Park service and the United States military academy for your hard work planning this ceremony. Today and for all you do for this site. 200 years ago today a baby who would be named hyrum Ulysses Grant was born in a small wooden frame house in point pleasant, ohio. It is a distinctly american trait that those who command armies or even become president often begin life. Not in palaces or gilded mansions, but start from humble circumstances and advance with the singular potential that this country offers. And grants lifes work was service to his country. Perhaps it is fitting that due to a clerical error connected with his application to west point. His initials became us. It was only natural that when the civil war broke out grant offered his services to the union cause he could grasp both strategic and tactical challenges that had proven to be too much for so many union commanders. However, meteoric has rise. He conducted himself throughout with unflinching honesty without backbiting and never resorted to duplicity against others for the sake of advancing himself. His character was a combination of warlike resolve and compassion. Confederate general James Longstreet wrote that the biggest part of him was his heart. Grants compassion and his sense of justice extended to millions who were kept in the bondage of slavery and denied the right to vote based upon their race. Upon becoming president. He secured the ratification of the 15th amendment which prohibited Racial Discrimination and voting and then secured the law establishing the department of justice five enforcement acts that protected 14th and 15th amendment rights and the first desegregation law of national scope. The general who had crushed the powers sustaining slavery became the president who crushed the ku klux klan. The age of grant was the age of a multiracial American Republic tragically a generation after his presidency a new era of jim crows disfranchisement undid much of his work. But enough of the legal architecture grant helped to build for the protection of equal rights survived to enable the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. It is past time that we remember him with a recognition long overdue as a founding father of our multiracial republic. Grants presidency had plenty of other achievements in our brief time here. I will mention just one. President grants successful settlement of a highly contentious dispute known as the alabama claims with Great Britain established the principle of International Arbitration for the resolution of disputes between nations involving questions of paramount importance leading to several organized efforts that promoted alternatives to war. The general who had mastered the art of war became the president who worked to advance his dream of someday rendering war itself. Obsolete. To commemorate the memory of general and president grant please join the Grant Monument association and making two appeals to our elected officials in washington. First let us mark this occasion by recognizing general grant as the preeminent american soldier that he was with a posthumous promotion to the us armys highest rank general of the armies of the United States as has been proposed in this congress. Second this Great Monument should be completed and it most conspicuously needs a more spacious Visitor Center that does full justice to the rich life and legacy of the man who lies buried here. Surely the government that was saved by his achievements can afford the modest expenditure it would take to educate visitors to this site about a story that too few americans know. To build it tell president grants story a greater american leader never lived. Thank you. Frank i have good news for you. They passed it. He was granted that elevation as of today. So your work. Really shows were gearing up for our keynote speaker. Im very pleased to have this person speaking to us today to talk about our reconstruction president. And yes grant was our reconstruction president. We are now honored to welcome. This years keynote speaker, mr. Brooks, donahue simpson. He is an american historian where he specializes in american political and military history, especially the American Civil War and reconstruction. The author of several books is best known for the book releases grant . Triumph over adversity 1822 to 1865 and the reconstruction president. Lets bring forward mr. Brooks simpson so he can share with us the legacy of Ulysses S Grant. Good morning. Thank you. I would like to thank the National Park service and the Grant Monument association. Especially franks guitaro for offering me this opportunity this morning. As many of you know without franks tireless efforts to preserve this edifice. We might not be here today. I thank him for those efforts. Most people know if Ulysses S Grant primarily has the general who had the armies of the United States to victory in the American Civil War. That should be achievement enough. For anyone yet there is more to grant than that. On this day we might also reflect on grants efforts to realize the fruits of that victory and to recall a man who embraced those closest to him. With love and devotion in some ways ulysses us grant found peace more challenging than war. Victory not only saved the union and destroyed soy free, but it also secured for him the personal security. He had sought for so long. Yet over the next four years grant found himself embroiled in political controversy as he saw to preserve in peace. What had been one and war by suppressing recalcitrant white southerners violent resistance to black freedom. Eventually, he concluded that he would have to set aside his personal preferences. And agree to run for the presidency. As he confided to william t sherman, he had no ambition to be president. I have been forced into it in spite of myself. I could not back down without leaving the contest for power for the next four years between mere trading politicians the elevation of whom no matter which party won. Would weave to us lose to us largely the results of the cost we wore. Which we have gone through. And accepting the republican president ial nomination in 1868. Grant uttered the four words most closely associated with him at this place. Let us have peace. The short phrase meant many things peace between north and south between black and white and then to political chaos and terrorist violence a need to put the past behind into forge ahead. All these desires were encompassed in these for words. He endorsed the 15th amendment to secure the right of suffrage for black men. Hes characterized the ratification of that amendment as the death. Knell for the dred scott decision. Coming from the man who was the last slaveholder to hold the office of president the United States. Such statements reminded everyone of just how far the nation had come in a decade. We now appreciate grants efforts on behalf of black freedom inequality even as we note their limits. Grant himself wanted to give blacks a fair chance, including economic and educational opportunities. He urged white americans to treat the as a citizen and a voter as he is and must remain. And battled White Supremacists determined to prevail by whatever means were at their disposal. Despite grants best efforts to subdue such violence. It ultimately prevailed heated in part by eroding support for reconstruction in the north commenting on the failure to bring the justice those white terrorists who had murdered upwards of a hundred africanamericans and kovacs, louisiana grant spoke bluntly. Angrily noting that everyone of the colfax miscreants goes unwhipped of justice and no way can be found in this boasted land of civilization and christianity to punish the perpetrators of its bloody. And monstrous crime a year later he observed a government that cannot give protection to life. Property and all guaranteed civil rights in this country. The great greatest is an untraveled ballot. Is of failure he could not be any clearer. And grants went last annual message. He assessed his own presidency in words that reflected both humility and pride. Mistakes have been made as all can see and i admit he observed though. He added that he had done his best. Failures have been errors of judgment not of intent yet he stood firm with a disputed president ial election complete with talk of violent resistance to the results. Threatened to endue the republic he had done so much to save. And he pointed decisive role and staving off yet another national crisis. As you enter the tomb and gaze down at grants final resting place. You will see that by his side is his wife julia. The love of his life she was a remarkable woman who always believed in her husband and thought him destined to do great things. His story is also her story. Winning her hand in marriage prove that he c