"This week in history: Outrage follows Grant's order to expel Jews"

CSA Today

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Honored Fallen Comrade
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Location
Laurinburg NC
Post-war Grant tried to make amends. But I will write about that next year.
I hope you do, Pat. He really did, as Jonathan Sarna details so well in his book When General Grant Expelled the Jews.

I'm not excusing Grant's behavior in December 1862. But Sarna links the timing of it to the visit of Grant's father immediately before. Like so many other tragedies in history, "daddy issues" played a part. My post on this earlier this year generated an interesting discussion. All I'll say here is that Grant repented, was later mortified at his own behavior, and during his presidency did more to protect Jews here and abroad, to promote Jewish causes, and to name Jews to high positions in his government than any president before him, and for quite a while after him.
 
We have several threads on this in the archives.

Seems that Grant was infuriated with the trading across lines including his father and Jewish partner. An aide wrote the order and didn't specify traders, which may have been purposeful or inadvertent. Consequently, the order was presumed to include civilians.

Read a thread or two before passing judgement. This order is always brought up to stain Grant, so I'll leave it there.
 
We have several threads on this in the archives.

Seems that Grant was infuriated with the trading across lines including his father and Jewish partner. An aide wrote the order and didn't specify traders, which may have been purposeful or inadvertent. Consequently, the order was presumed to include civilians.

Read a thread or two before passing judgement. This order is always brought up to stain Grant, so I'll leave it there.
But it does stain him.
 
I hope you do, Pat. He really did, as Jonathan Sarna details so well in his book When General Grant Expelled the Jews.

I'm not excusing Grant's behavior in December 1862. But Sarna links the timing of it to the visit of Grant's father immediately before. Like so many other tragedies in history, "daddy issues" played a part. My post on this earlier this year generated an interesting discussion. All I'll say here is that Grant repented, was later mortified at his own behavior, and during his presidency did more to protect Jews here and abroad, to promote Jewish causes, and to name Jews to high positions in his government than any president before him, and for quite a while after him.

Of course, Jews in 1862 had no reason to know that he would repent. Also, while the order may have coincided with Grant's contention with his father, it followed a well-trodden antisemitic line.
 
Being from Memphis, I've always thought Grant was rather stabbing himself in the back. Until well into the 20th century, several large department stores, groceries, and other mercantile businesses with antebellum origins were still operated in Memphis by the Jewish families that started them, and there are still several parks and landmarks named for Jewish families who were living here at the time of the Civil war. One of the reasons Memphis was so easy to occupy, despite being in the heart of cotton country, was the city's large and influential Jewish population, who were not planters, did not particularly sympathize with planters for the most part, and tended to be Unionists. Well - general order 11 changed all that! No more sympathetic Jewish population in Memphis.
 
Let us not forget that traders and merchants were often referred to as Jews, whether Jewish or not. Has no one here, youngers excepted, never said "Jew him down"?
 
Let us not forget that traders and merchants were often referred to as Jews, whether Jewish or not. Has no one here, youngers excepted, never said "Jew him down"?
I once gave someone a warning on a forum for that, but no, I haven't. It seems to be growing more common among younger people, rather than a thing older people say.
 
Unless youngsters refers to those of us under 60, I'm guessing we haven't
Sorry. Forgot that many are under 60.

Guess you didn't grow up in the Great Plains.

And that is a stitch in the side of many. When I grew up, Gypsies were roaming around. Is why every farmer had a rifle and shotgun. Well, that was the excuse, anyway.
 
I once gave someone a warning on a forum for that, but no, I haven't. It seems to be growing more common among younger people, rather than a thing older people say.
Sorry for that, Allie, but it was quite a common expression long before you were born.

By the way, it is very nice that you've jumped in. Welcome.
 
It would seem that the infamous order was antisemitic. It was directed at the cross-border trade. That the word "Jew" was used is the unfortunate part.
 
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