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-Replaced Abraham Lincoln following his assassination
 * // Andrew Johnson //**
 * // Birth: //** // December 29, 1808-In Raleigh, North Carolina
 * Died:** July 31, 1875-In Carter’s Station, Tennessee
 * Term:** April 15, 1865 to March3, 1869
 * Vice President:** None
 * Political Party:** Democratic

The Presidency of Andrew Johnson should be among the most notable in American history. Many important things happened including Reconstruction, following the Civil War, the ratification of two Constitutional Amendments, namely the thirteenth and fourteenth, and the purchase of Alaska. In nearly all of these important events Johnson played a less than impressive role. He was nearly always out-shined by Congress, who opposed almost everything he did, leading to his Impeachment in 1868. Because of Johnson’s horrible relationship with Congress and his extremely unimpressive performance in important national matters Andrew Johnson’s, if graded, should receive the grade of a D.

Andrew Johnson entered his Presidency with pretty much one goal in mind: Reconstruction. Almost all issues faced by America at the time surrounded the topic of Reconstruction whether that be the economy or any other subject. Following Lincoln’s death Johnson created a Reconstruction plan of his own, very similar to Lincoln’s. Both Johnson and Lincoln believed that the South had never actually left the Union because the Constitution states that it is indissoluble. Because of this belief he felt that the states should be reinstated into the Union with as little disruption as possible. His plan shows his views quite plainly. He intended to appoint local governors that would call state constitutional conventions. The conventions were then supposed to draft new constitutions for their respected states. The constitutions were required to repudiate secession, Confederate debts and slavery. Citizen’s of states who complied would then need to swear an oath of allegiance to the Federal Government to receive their full rights as citizens. Sadly, due to the stubbornness of the South, on the issue of black rights and freedoms, and the disagreement of the largely Radical Republican Congress Johnson’s plan was never adapted. Congress was determined to punish the South and slow the resurgence of Southern power in the federal government. Despite Johnson’s unsuccessfulness Reconstruction still occurred. It could be argued that in this manner Johnson did indeed accomplish his goal, but when one notices that the goal was not accomplished in the way Johnson intended this should be considered a failure.

President Johnson had a horrible relationship with the Congress of the time. This can most easily be attributed to the differing political parties. Johnson was Democratic and the Congress was largely Republican. Disputes between Johnson and Congress started early in his presidency. Republicans didn’t agree with the viewpoints of Johnson on the matter of Reconstruction. Even the south didn’t totally agree with Johnson, especially in the area of black freedoms. Following the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln and the ending of the Civil War southern legislatures adopted Black Codes. These Codes were made to restrict the rights of blacks including the right to vote, serve on juries and testify in court. In response Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act which was intended to specifically combat the Black Codes. Congress also began passing reconstructive acts that were much harsher then the practices of Johnson. Johnson showed his disapproval by vetoing 29 of these bills. To his dismay 15 of them were overridden in Congress. Among the bills overridden were the Freedman’s Bureau Act, and the District of Columbia Suffrage Act. The Freedman’s Bureau Act extended the life of the already in place Freedman’s Bureau which helped to provide education, land and jobs to blacks. Along with the institution of Congress’s own plans for Reconstruction, which consisted of the use of Federal Troops in five military districts in the South, came the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. The 13th abolished slavery and the 14th assured and protected black rights. It also served the function of declaring Confederacy debts void. Johnson was not a supporter of either Amendment but was forced to once again take the back seat to Congress.

Johnson’s horrible relationship with Congress can be illustrated farther by his impeachment in 1868. Congress had passed and act known as the Tenure of Office Act which forbade Johnson, or any president, from removing public officials without the consent of the Senate. In February of 1868 Johnson deliberately broke that rule set by Congress when he dismissed his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. This was the last straw for Congress especially because Stanton was a Radical Republican who had often undermined the president and his politics. Shortly after Stanton’s dismissal the House successfully voted to impeach Johnson. To their dismay when the case was presented before the Senate Johnson was not convicted of any crimes because there failed to be a 2/3 majority stating that he was guilty. Overall Johnson missed conviction by one vote. It is quite easy to see that Congress and Andrew Johnson loathed each other. One would be hard pressed to find a subject that they agreed on.

The most positive action taken by Johnson was the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Because Russia had overextended itself in North America they gave America a very impressive price for the purchase of Alaska: $7.2 million. They could have sold the land to another nation but preferred America because they wished to strengthen the U.S. against their rival Britain. At the time most Americans were still extremely focused on Reconstruction and thought that the purchase of Alaska was a bad move by the government. Why spend money buying land when the land you already owned needed funding to reconstruct? This question presented by the American people is an extremely valid one but is answered quite easily. Russia had always been friendly to America, particularly the North during the Civil War and the government didn’t want to offend Russia by not accepting their extremely generous offer. Also, the government had heard rumors that the Alaska territory was rich in fur, fish and gold. Although it wasn’t discovered until later Alaska was extremely profitable due to its natural resources, in the form of oil and gas. Overall the decision wasn’t a popular one at the time but it turned out to be extremely profitable to America making it one of the few positive actions taken by Johnson and his administration.

Naming the most negative action taken by Johnson is difficult because there are so many. If an action needed to be decided upon it would probably be more a series of actions: his vetoes. Although for the most part they didn’t stop Congress they most certainly were a pain to deal with. Had Johnson not vetoed so many bills, specifically those pertaining to Reconstruction the Union may have been reinstated much quicker.

Johnson himself didn’t have any real lasting effects in America. The deeds of others, namely Congress in the passing of the 13th and 14th Amendments and in the area of Reconstruction affect America to this day. While these events happened during the time of Johnson’s Presidency none of them were because of him so he shouldn’t be credited with them.

In conclusion the era of Johnson’s presidency is extremely important to American history, but not the acts of Johnson himself. Had Johnson gotten his way the Confederates states would have been reinstated under much easier qualifications. Overall Johnson is easily overshadowed by America’s legislative branch who stepped up to the plate in America’s time of need and exercised power an d control. Because of Johnson unimpressive actions he is rightfully deserving of the grade: D.


 * Sources: ** //

"Andrew Johnson." //POTUS//. Web. 24 Sep 2009. .

William A. Degregorio,. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. 6th Edition. Fort Lee: Barricade Books Inc., 2005. Print.