Michael-andrew-johnson

Andrew Johnson (29 December 1808 - 31 July 1875) Democrat In office April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 No vice president

Adding to the reasons to be sorry for Lincoln's assination was his vice president, Andrew "Sir Veto" Johnson. Even before ascending to the presidency, he was regarded as "...[an] insolent, clownish creature..." with little ability to promote political cooperation. Johnson's ascention into the presidency was not due to political aptitude or the will of the people; he was an unpopular president who rode Lincoln's coattails. With his inepness at leadership and lack of political compromise, stemming from the civil war. If assigning a grade to Johnson, a "D" would be given, for his inability to combat discrimination successfully and failure to work with the Congress on Reconstruction, while recognizing that his decision to purchase Alaska, while only to placate the Russians, turned out to be a brilliant albeit lucky decision, yielding valuable oil and gold in the future.

Despite his clear goals of reconstruction by his so-called "soft on the South" policies, the lack of support from congress made this difficult to achieve. Hoping for the southerners to recognize the value of blacks on their own, he refused to support federal aid to the freedmen. This his set him and the dominant northern Republicans at odds, who supported reconstruction by the sword, making him perpetually at war with his his greatest allies. While the ideals of an easy re-entry with the "10 percent" government rules to the Union were pioneered by Lincoln, Johnson did not have the political clout, charisma, or ability to compromise that Lincoln had. Failing miserably at uniting the Union and admittance of the South, he was quickly and overridden by a 2/3rds majority a great many times in congress, making it a fair assessment to say he failed miserably at almost everything he had attempted.

Buckling under the pressure, he rapidly and successively vetoed everything that reached his desk; an action that distressed the congress and only resulted in his veto power being overridden at a humiliating rate. Such uncompromising actions delayed dire legislation such as the Civil Rights Bill, the Freedmens' Bureau*, a supplementary Reconstruction Bill, admission of the former Confederate states, all of which he was overridden on. This lack of flexibility coupled with differing views on reconstruction rapidly caused opposition to him by congress, crippling the federal government immeasurably. During the first congressional term, Republicans held the house in the majority, although not enough to override a presidential veto. During this period, nearly every bill proposed by congress was vetoed. This exceptional display of stalwart unwillingness by the federal government to pass even the most basic guarantees of citizenship soon ended, as in the 1866 elections a radical Republican majority swept the Congress, freeing the representatives of the log jam that was the presidential veto, ending a period of stalled lawmaking. After the presidential veto could be overridden, various reforms were passed, providing a modicum of relief to the southern freedmen. Such reforms that were passed (after being vetoed) were the restoration of the Freedmen's Bureau, legislation against Jim Crow laws, and various other social reforms aimed at attacking the "peculiar institution" of slavery in the south. Such infamy with interactions with congress has been achieved by few presidents, and will hopefully never occur again.

While not being a "great" decision, the best decision made by Johnson was likely the purchase of Alaska. Such a valuable piece of land, as well as a continuing alliance with Russia, made the menial 2 cents an acre well worth it. While scorned by many pundits at the time, natural resources such as seals, cod, salmon, and furs were highly valued highly by many citizens. Later, more valuable mineral deposits such as oil, copper, and gold made the purchase well worth it, adding to the benefit of aiding our allies Russia. Alaska, while not a completely universally desired acquisition, received strong support overall, even from Johnson's political enemies such as Charles Sumner, who campaigned heavily in the senate to ensure that it passed. The decision that resulted in the most negative effects was Johnson's desire to resist the desires of the Republicans in reconstruction of the South. Not only did this slow down progress, but it also allowed oppressive Jim Crow laws to gain a foothold in the South. A more rapid and aggressive approach to reform would have resulted in the ratification of more equality laws by state legislature, a more rapid sense of equality, and may have prevented the aristocratic class from establishing the sharecropping system as quickly and effectively. The decision of hindering these laws may have contributed to the difficulty later on of integrating schools, black voting rights, and equal employment. "Sir Veto" Johnson's decision to prevent this progress was a terrible decision which could not be remedied quickly or easily.

Andrew Johnson's presidency did not have a very enduring effect on the United States, although the Alaskan purchase provided a great deal of resources to the United States in the future as well as an extremely large land mass. The geo-political reasons as well as the partial returns on profits left an enduring mark on the United States. While the full cost of the Alaskan Purchase may not have been retrieved from the investment, the border protection as well as the effects of Manifest Destiny on national morale made it well worth it. If the plans to annex British Columbia had materialized like it was originally suspected, it would have given highly positive returns, greater than those Alaska would.. Alaska has been an influence on the American economy, eventually becoming the 49th state, and regardless of the profits, provided immeasurable effects on various geo-political environment.

Johnson's presidency was plagued with unnecessary conflict which stalled progress: he fought against congress, failed at utilizing his authority, and could not compromise. His failures were numerous, and he lacked the ability to corral congress to working with him, eventually leading to his impeachment from his dislike. Despite his failures in domestic policy, the Alaskan Purchase was a semi-effective decision that utilized the resources of the federal government effectively that provided a future return, albeit not all monetary. Therefore, it is appropriate to assign a grade of a "D" or a primarily weak presidency recognizing that he was a weak president overall who was unwilling to compromise on the most basic ideals to promote a better future.


 * The Freedmens' Bureau was continued, although in a slightly different form, under the "Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees" which carried out similar tasks under a similar name.

Works cited

"Alaska Purchase." //American-Business.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. < http://american-business.org/2290-alaska-purchase.html >.

"Alaska Purchase." //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online//. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <[]>.

"Andrew Johnson Complete Record of President Johnson's Vetoes." //New York Times// 15 March 1869, Print.

Barker, David. "Was the Alaska Purchase a Good Deal?." University of Iowa, 10 Aug 2009. Web. 31 Mar 2011.

DeGregorio, William A. // The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents //. Fort Lee, NJ: Easton, 2009. Print."President Washington Inauguration Speech."

Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. //The American pageant: a history of the Republic//. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.