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Andrew Johnson Political Party: Originally Independent, however, was then elected as a Democrat and Unionist Dates of Terms: April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 Vice President: None

Andrew Johnson became the President of the United States under unusual circumstances. He was originally the Vice President to President Abraham Lincoln, and after his assassination, Johnson took the oath of office. Because Johnson seceded perhaps the best president in history, he was unable to handle domestic affairs the way Lincoln was and is ranked lowly. Due to the passing of the "black codes" and his relationship with congress, Johnson deserves a C- for his presidency.

Goals throughout his presidency can be summed up in the fact that Johnson wanted to follow through with Lincoln's reconstruction plan as best he could. However, Johnson did modernize it a little bit, and since Congress was out of session for nearly a year, he decided to follow through with his plan without their consent. Johnson's revised reconstruction plan included pardons being granted for those taking an oath of loyalty, the process of a state abolishing slavery entirely before being readmitted, and also a state repealing its secession ordinance to be readmitted. Most states accepted these terms indefinitely; although, they caused strong differences in opinion among congress members. Johnson's goals for the most part were acheived, he did follow through with his plans and had the obedience of the states. The only goal that one could say was not acheived is the full acceptance of Southern States. Congress refused to allow Southerners to have representation.

Congress had a less than good relationship with Andrew Johnson, to put it nicely. Just for the simple reason of Johnson seceding Lincoln already put him on somewhat bad terms with congress. Trying to follow and replace a loved and admired President is not an easy task. It only got worse once Johnson changed Lincoln's reconstruction plan and their opinions differed. When congress came back into session, they refused to seat any southern representatives. Their opinions ranged elsewhere when the president vetoed nearly thirty bills, causing Congress to have to override them. The most important override of a veto is perhaps Freedman's Bureau Bill. Tensions between the two reached an all time high when Congress passed the Tenure Office Act. This caused Johnson to lose all power he had when it came to removing federal officials without the Senate's approval. The Tenure Office Act led Johnson to fight the system and eventually almost led to his impeachment the margin of one vote in congress.

Although Andrew Johnson had a very negative Presidency, he dealt fairly well with foreign affairs. Johnson did have the great accomplishment of negotiating and purchasing Alaska in 1867 from Russia. Johnson paid about $7.2 Million for Alaska, equivalent to about two cents per acre. While much of the country did not believe Alaska was a necessary gain, or a positive one at that, it was dubbed "Seward's Folly." It was not until the Klondike Gold Rush in Yukon, that Americans really began to appreciate Alaska.

It appeared Andrew Johnson was set up for failure from the start. Many congressmen were not about to let his presidency be successful once he seceded Lincoln. However, Johnson's greatest negative outcome during his presidency was his pardon for thousands of Southerners to set up "black codes." These were essentially seen as slavery under another name. Congress then passed Freedman's Bureau Bill to provide protection and shelter for former slaves as well as protection of their court rights and the Civil Rights Act. Congress had to pass this laws over President Johnson's veto. In order to secure and enforce social and political rights of the blacks, they had to establish a military reconstruction program, against Johnson's wishes. Although the South's were in favor of Johnson's motives, the majority of the country fought to free slaves and were extremely against the "black codes."

The Tenure Office Act was passed on March 2, 1867. This act denied the President the ability to remove from office anyone who had been appointed by a past President without the consent of the Senate, unless the Senate approved the removal during a session of Congress. Although President Johnson missed impeachment by one vote, his fight against congress was his most influential act. Johnson fought to remove the act and even tried to suspend a secretary of war. Once the dispute between congress and Johnson broke out, it lead to his impeachment and almost removal from congress. Although it is still unclear whether or not Johnson really violated the act, it led to President Hayes fighting the act and eventually had it removed in 1887.

Throughout President Andrew Johnson's time in office, his only positive influence was the purchase of Alaska. It may seem that because he only had one good outcome of his terms, he should get a lower grade, but he was not the worst president and could have made worse decisions. For the reason of his constant negative actions, Johnson deserves the grade of a C-.

Bibliography  "American President: Andrew Johnson: A Life in Brief." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. . "Andrew Johnson Reconstruction Plan." //United States History//. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. . "Biography: Andrew Johnson - by Rolando Cruz - Helium." //Helium - Where Knowledge Rules//. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .