Emily

Democrat 17th President (April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869) No Vice President Andrew Johnson became president following Lincoln’s assassination. He was somewhat of a misfit who was the wrong man to lead the country at this pivotal time. I would give Johnson a C for his efforts, he was faced with a world of problems right from the start however I just don’t think he did what was best for the healing country. Johnson did not have a good relationship with Congress. He granted many pardons to leading confederates, and supported the return of the southern representatives to Congress who was enemies with the Republicans who had stayed during the war. On top of problems between congressional members, there were clashes between the president who would veto many bills (“Sir Veto”) and Congress who repeatedly overrode Johnson. The most positive action made was the 10 percent Reconstruction Plan. It swiftly reunited the Union on the terms that each state had to have 10 percent of the voters of the 1860 election take an oath of allegiance to the United States, a pledge to follow emancipation, and a state government. The most negative action on the flip side had to be the passage of the Black Codes which were supposed to keep a subservient labor force. Also the codes forbade blacks to serve on a jury, renting or leasing land, voting, etc. These laws were bad because they mocked what the soldiers had just been fighting a supposedly won; freedom. If Johnson’s Reconstruction Era wouldn’t have taken place, things would have been a lot different with the Union reformation. Things might not have gone so smoothly, there could have been a long lasting rivalry and resentment had there been strict punishments on the South that possibly could have led to future wars. I believe that the Country was better off at the end of Johnson’s term than in the beginning because the Union was back in tact and the country was united. Some of the legislation passed dealing with the new freedom of the blacks (that in my opinion took more of a side step instead of a step in the right direction) was disagreeable. Johnson did the best he could, however I don’t think he was what the country needed which is why I give him a C.   Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. __American Pageant : Advanced__ __Placement__. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 2001. "Andrew Johnson -." __Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. 19 Dec. 2008 . "Andrew Johnson." __State Library of North Carolina__. 19 Dec. 2008 .
 * Andrew Johnson ** ( December 29, 1808–July 31, 1875)