Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, ascended to the presidency in the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, inheriting a nation fractured by civil war. A Southerner and a Democrat who remained loyal to the Union during the conflict, Johnson found himself at the helm of a country grappling with the immense task of Reconstruction. His time in office, marked by both significant achievements and deep controversy, played a pivotal role in shaping the course of post-war America.
Born into poverty in 1808, Johnson’s early life was a testament to self-reliance and determination. Orphaned at a young age, he received no formal education and was apprenticed to a tailor at the tender age of 10. Despite these challenges, Johnson taught himself to read and write, eventually embarking on a career in local politics. He moved to Greeneville, Tennessee, where he established his own tailoring business and married Eliza McCardle, with whom he had five children. Eliza, though often in poor health, provided steadfast support throughout his political career.
Johnson’s political journey began in 1829 when he was elected alderman in Greeneville. He quickly rose through the ranks, serving as mayor, a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, and later both the Tennessee Senate and the US House of Representatives. A staunch advocate for the common man, Johnson championed populist policies and opposed the interests of wealthy Southern elites, earning a reputation as a defender of poor white farmers. In 1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, focusing on policies benefiting the working class, such as expanding public education. In 1857, he became a US senator, aligning himself with Southern Democrats who supported states’ rights but opposed secession.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Johnson’s loyalty to the Union set him apart from many of his Southern counterparts. He was the sole Southern senator who refused to join the Confederacy. His loyalty garnered national recognition, and in 1862, President Lincoln appointed him as Military Governor of Tennessee after Union forces regained control of the state. In this role, Johnson supported Lincoln’s efforts to reunite the country and restore Southern states to the Union.
In 1864, Lincoln, seeking to broaden his appeal to Southern Unionists and signal a desire for reconciliation, selected Johnson, a Democrat, as his vice-presidential running mate. The Lincoln-Johnson ticket won the election, but Johnson’s tenure as vice president was tragically short-lived. Six weeks into his second term, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, propelling Johnson into the presidency.
Johnson inherited a nation deeply divided and reeling from the devastation of war. His primary task was overseeing the Reconstruction of the Southern states and their reintegration into the Union. Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction was lenient and conciliatory toward the former Confederate states. He implemented a plan known as Presidential Reconstruction, which allowed Southern states to rejoin the Union with relative ease. He granted pardons to many former Confederate leaders and permitted Southern states to form new governments with minimal federal interference. However, his plan lacked significant protections for newly freed African Americans, allowing Southern states to quickly enact Black Codes, which severely restricted the rights of African Americans. Johnson’s leniency toward the South and his opposition to civil rights for freed slaves ignited a fierce conflict with the Radical Republicans in Congress, who sought to impose stricter conditions on the South and guarantee civil and political rights for African Americans. This clash fueled a power struggle between the executive and legislative branches.
Johnson’s presidency is most famously remembered for his impeachment, the first in American history. The conflict between Johnson and the Radical Republicans reached its peak over the Tenure of Office Act, a law passed by Congress in 1867 to limit the president’s power to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval. When Johnson attempted to fire US Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican ally, he violated the Tenure of Office Act. The House of Representatives impeached Johnson on February 24, 1868, charging him with “high crimes and misdemeanours.” The trial moved to the Senate, where Johnson narrowly escaped removal from office by a single vote. The impeachment trial severely weakened Johnson’s presidency, diminishing his influence over policy for the remainder of his term.
While Johnson’s Reconstruction policies dominated his presidency, his administration also addressed foreign and domestic affairs. One of the key achievements of his presidency was the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, negotiated by US Secretary of State William H. Seward. The acquisition, initially ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly,” later proved to be a valuable addition to the United States. Domestically, Johnson attempted to veto several key pieces of legislation aimed at protecting African American rights, including the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Acts. However, Congress overrode his vetoes, and these laws laid the foundation for greater federal intervention in the South to enforce civil rights.
After his term ended in 1869, Johnson returned to Tennessee, where he remained active in politics. In 1875, he became the only former president to be elected to the US Senate, a testament to his enduring popularity in his home state. However, his time in the Senate was short-lived, as he died just a few months after taking office on July 31, 1875, at the age of 66.
Andrew Johnson’s legacy is a complex and contested one. His efforts to quickly reunify the country after the Civil War were overshadowed by his failure to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans and his lenient policies toward the former Confederacy. His presidency, marked by impeachment and conflict with Congress, is often considered one of the most tumultuous in American history. Despite the controversy surrounding his presidency, Johnson’s rise from poverty to the nation’s highest office remains an extraordinary American story.
