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 **Andrew Johnson** Birth:  December 29th, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina  Death: July 31st, 1875 in Carter’s Station, Tennessee Political Party: Democratic Presidential Term(s): April 15th, 1865 – March 3rd, 1869 Vice President(s): None

Andrew Johnson was the seventeenth president of the United States and he wasn’t even elected. President Johnson was inaugurated into office because John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Due to the lack of accomplishments and how his presidency ended Johnson deserves at least a D.

Coming into office, President Johnson really didn’t have any plans for the nation other than to help with its reconstruction after the Civil War. Due to the fact of his un-elected presidency he had no time to plan out what he wanted to do with the nation. Naturally because the former President Lincoln was a republican and Johnson was a democrat, he developed his own ideas for reconstruction and was able to implement his plans quickly because Congress would not reconvene until the following December. Johnson’s plan stated that if a state wanted to rejoin the Union they would have to hold state conventions which were required to renounce the succession and ratify the slave-freeing thirteenth amendment. The main problem with this plan was that it did not request black suffrage which resulted in some states implementing the “Black Codes”. Seeing as how Johnson was a democrat that refused to succeed with the South, one would think that he was disgusted by the way that the slaves were treated, but this was not the case. Johnson’s dislike of African Americans was clearly shown when Johnson ignored, or chose not to act upon these “Black Codes”. It seems as though Johnson’s main priority was to reunite the union regardless of how the newly freedmen were treated.

Having a good relationship with Congress can be difficult, but in Andrew Johnson’s case, it was impossible. When Congress eventually reconvened in December they sought to steal control over the nation’s reconstruction from Johnson. When they examined Johnson’s reconstruction policies they voted that the state governments which were established could not be considered valid. Congress also wished to extend the Freedman’s Bureau which Johnson vetoed. He also vetoed the Civil Rights Act, but Congress overruled Johnson’s decision. Congress also passed the fourteenth amendment and defined exactly what national citizenship was and attempted to bring black suffrage into the states. Johnson, who disliked blacks, tried to stop Congress but was unsuccessful. Most of the conflicts were most likely caused because the Congress consisted of many Republicans.

Although it may seem like President Johnson could do nothing right, one positive outcome came from his presidency. This positive action was Johnson’s purchase of Alaska from Russia. At first, this seemed like a rather bad decision, but because Russia was their only friend during the Civil War, Johnson believed that not purchasing Alaska would be considered rude because it was truly a great offer. However, in later years, discoveries of natural resources like fish and oil changed people’s perspectives on Johnson decision.

The nature of Johnson’s presidency was negative and to pick one that would be considered the worst would be very difficult to do. Johnson didn’t care for blacks and blatantly displayed throughout his presidency by not acting upon the “Black Codes” and by vetoing bills that would have helped the black tremendously. It is because of his emotions involving blacks that he didn’t have a healthy relationship with Congress. If Johnson could have set aside his feelings and done what was best for the nation as a whole, his presidency could have had a much more positive outcome.

It’s fair to say that the nation would have been better off if Johnson was not inaugurated into office. His blatant disregard for African Americans greatly hurt the reconstruction of the nation and it was almost as if the Civil War had accomplished nothing. He also disagreed with Congress on almost every issue regarding reconstruction. Luckily, Congress was smart enough to impeach this president before he caused any more damage to the newly developed reconstruction plans. Johnson was just in an awful position to begin with. He was a person who was not accepted by republicans and a democrat not accepted by other democrats. He was a misfit of some sorts and was unable to help the nation in almost every way, shape, and form. The only thing that keeps him from receiving an F is his smart decision to purchase Alaska from Russia, but that’s the only thing.

Bibliography  "American President: Key Events during the Presidency of Andrew Johnson." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. Web. 05 Nov. 2009. .

//American Presidents: Life Portraits //. Web. 05 Nov. 2009. .

 "Andrew Johnson |." //The White House//. Web. 05 Nov. 2009. <[]>.