1873 Ulysses S. Grant - Russian Mennonites

The "Russian Mennonites" were a group of German-Dutch Anabaptist descendants who settled in the West Prussia in the south west of the Russian Empire or present-day Ukraine. They were German speaking (and of German tradition) Christians who lived in Russia for some 250 years. Then in 1871, a new edict was announced that all were to be eligible for conscription into the Russian army. There would be no more special favors, so in 1873, a delegation of twelve left to explore North America. they were seeking large tracts of fertile farmland. In America, they found fertile lands in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. In 1874 10,000 Mennonites immigrated to the United States.

In 1872, the Russian Mennonites petitioned a U.S. diplomat at St. Petersburg.  After an initial encouraging reply, Secretary of State Hamilton Fish gave the diplomat directions to refrain from making any promises that could not be binding without Senate ratification.   Then, in 1873 three Mennonites (Paul and Lorenz Tschetter and Tobias Unruh) secured a personal interview with Grant at the White House.   Grant favored providing a written assurance of military service, but again Fish warned against making promises without Senate approval.   Finally, a very diplomatic Cornelius Jansen secured a second interview with Grant resulting in a proposal being submitted to Congress to authorize the sale of up to 500,000 acres to the Mennonites upon their arrival.  Grant worked with his Secretary of Interior Columbus Delano on the proposal and in 1874 the Grant-Delano proposal was submitted to Congress, but failed to come to a vote.  Among the opposition to the proposal was concern over the closed community of the Mennonite culture and their refusal to help defend the country in time of war. 

 In his 1873 annual address to congress, President Grant was very supportive of their mission, and asked congress for support in accommodating the immigration of the Mennonites.

"The expressed desire of the representatives of a large colony of citizens of Russia to emigrate to this country, as is understood, with the consent of their Government, if certain concessions can be made to enable them to settle in a compact colony, is of great interest, as going to show the light in which our institutions are regarded by an industrious, intelligent, and wealthy people, desirous of enjoying civil and religious liberty; and the acquisition of so large an immigration of citizens of a superior class would without doubt be of substantial benefit to the country. I invite attention to the suggestion of the Secretary of the Interior in this behalf."

References

Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). Ulysses S. Grant: Fifth Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29514 [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018].

En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mennonite. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mennonite [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018].

Gameo.org. (2018). Grant, President Ulysses S. (1822-1885) and the Russian Mennonite Immigration - GAMEO. [online] Available at: http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Grant%2C_President_Ulysses_S._(1822-1885)_and_the_Russian_Mennonite_Immigration [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018].

Swissmennonite.org. (2018). Part II "The Mennonites Arrive in Kansas". [online] Available at: http://www.swissmennonite.org/feature_archive/2004/200406.html [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018].