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Andrew Johnson Born December 29, 1808 Died July 31, 1875 Democrat/Unionist Served as 17th President 1865-1869 No vice presidents Andrew Johnson had some big shoes to fill in replacing the late Abraham Lincoln. Overall, his entire presidency deserves D+. Johnson was no Lincoln, but really, he inherited a nation fresh out of a civil war and had to put the pieces back together and obviously not prepared to do so. His presidency was filled with ups and downs, and in the end he left the country in a barely better yet unstable shape. Johnson wasn’t the worst president, but he certainly wasn’t the best. Johnson’s main goals in his presidency were to deal with the newly freed black slaves and reunite the country. To begin with, Johnson did not handle the free slave situation with the greatest ease. He vetoed many bills such as the Civil Rights Bill in March 1866 which purposed equality for blacks. He also vetoed the bill continuing the Freedmen’s Bureau in February of 1866. Johnson also did not believe that Black Suffrage needed to be passed in order to readmit the states. In continuation, Johnson agreed with Lincoln in his thinking that the states had never really left the Union. He readmitted the states to the Union easily while handing out many pardons allowing many old Confederate leaders to take back their seats in Congress. Ultimately, Johnson did achieve his goals. He did deal with the black slave problem and readmitting the states, but the outcome of these choices (whether or not good or bad) is left up to question. Johnson’s relationship with congress was absolutely horrific. As previously stated Johnson vetoed bill after bill after bill and didn’t see eye to eye with the Republican controlled congress. His impeachment was an obvious declaration of this feud. While congress was out of session, Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. This was deemed unconstitutional because Congress needed to approve any firings the President made. He was charged with high crimes and misdemeanor, yet ultimately received a not guilty verdict. It can be argued the Johnson had one of the worst relationships with congress in presidential history. The most positive choice of Johnson’s Presidency was the purchase of Alaska. Purchased in 1867 for a measly $7.2 Million, it put America and Russia on temporary good terms. It sparked ideas to the continuation of the expansion United States (at the time it was hoped for the United States to expand into Iceland, Greenland and Puerto Rico). Also, it opened up a vast market for furs, fish, and gold and eventually became a hotspot for oil and gas. Jackson’s worst decision was that of the Reconstruction of 1865. He basically allowed the southern states to reconstruct themselves (which is a huge example of his state’s rights point of view) and allowed them to hurt the freed blacks even more through the Black Codes. Also, through his vetoes of Civil Rights Laws, he prolonged the exploitation of blacks and their labor. Thankfully, Congress put a stop to this by voting around Johnson’s veto. However it was done, Johnson’s reconstruction was ultimately the thing to influence today. Without it, who knows how the South would’ve turned out? The South’s system was basically ripped apart and put back together anew. It created resentment, racism, radicalism, and ultimately changed the face of America. Without it most likely the blacks would still be oppressed instead of free. In the end, Jackson had arguably one of the most dramatic presidencies in history. It changed America for the better in many ways, but deep down, this was really thanks to Congress. Thanks to his constant vetoes, his terrible relationship with Congress, and his views basically helping the South’s want to become the powerhouse it once was before the Civil War, he allowed Congress to create the new America. In the end, his stubbornness is what earns him his D+

Bibliography Kennedy, David M. // The American Pageant //. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print. American President: Andrew Johnson." // Miller Center of Public //   // Affairs // . University of Virginia, 2010. Web. 4 Nov 2010.       <http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/joh  nson