Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the seventeenth president of the United States who served from 1865 to 1869. He johnson-boxer” title=”Jack Johnson (boxer)”>became the president after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln which was a traumatic event for the country. Johnson was an impeached president who faced impeachment but later retained his presidency by only one vote.

Early Life and Career

Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He came from a poor family and did not receive much formal education. His father died when he was three years old, and he was apprenticed to a tailor at the age of ten. Johnson became skilled at tailoring and later owned his own tailor shop in Greenville, Tennessee.

Johnson entered politics in the late 1820s as a Democrat. He became the mayor of Greeneville and then entered the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was also elected to the Tennessee Senate and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1843 to 1853. During his tenure in Congress, he supported states’ rights and was a strong advocate for the Union.

In 1853, Johnson was elected governor of Tennessee, where he remained until he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1857. As a senator, he was a strong supporter of President Lincoln and the Union cause during the Civil War.

Presidency

After the assassination of President Lincoln in April 1865, Johnson became the president. He was a Democrat and a Southerner, which put him at odds with the Republican-controlled Congress during the Reconstruction era. Johnson opposed the strict Reconstruction policies of Congress and favored a more lenient approach towards the Southern states.

Johnson’s presidency was controversial and filled with political turmoil. He vetoed several Reconstruction bills passed by Congress, which led to the Congress passing the first impeachment resolution against him in 1867.

Johnson’s impeachment trial began in March 1868 when the House of Representatives impeached him for violating the Tenure of Office Act. The Senate failed to convict him by one vote, saving his presidency, and making him the first U.S. president to be impeached.

Legacy

Despite his controversial presidency, Johnson’s policies played a significant role in shaping the country. He promoted states’ rights and fought for the preservation of the Union, which had a lasting impact on American history.

Andrew Johnson is a complex figure that has been both praised and criticized for his policies. Some have hailed him as a hero of the Union while others view him as a traitor to the cause of civil rights. Nonetheless, his presidency was a turning point in American history that left an indelible mark on the country’s political landscape.