Rudri

Andrew Johnson Born: December 29, 1808 Raleigh, North Carolina Died: July, 31, 1875, Carter County, Tennessee Political Party: Democrat Terms of Office: April 15, 1865 – March 3, 1869 Vice President: None

Andrew Johnson took the place as President six weeks after Lincoln was assassinated. With the country fresh out of a war, Johnson had the task of bringing the nation back together. Although Johnson had the political experience to accomplish this, he did not possess the leadership qualities needed for such a task. Overall, Johnson deserves a D- for his presidency due to his failure at the Reconstruction of the South, as well as his failure to unite Congress. Due to his “high crimes and misdemeanors” Johnson was almost impeached. Throughout his presidency, Andrew Johnson failed to show the management qualities needed to aid the nation back together after the Civil War. Unfortunately for Johnson, he was probably the worst choice for president to serve directly after the Civil War.

Andrew Johnson was given the task of Reconstruction. Before Lincoln was assassinated, he had outlined his ideas for the Reconstruction plan. Johnson tried to carry out these ideas which included restoring the legal status of the southern states swiftly. Unfortunately, Johnson didn’t stand a chance. The South did not want to share power with former slaves while the Radical Republicans in the North wanted to punish the South for secession as well as prevent the Democrat power that was held prior to the Civil War from reemerging into the Nation. The south began implementing the Black Codes which restricted the rights of former slaves. In response, the Civil Rights Act was passed by the Radical Republicans. This Act protected the Blacks in the South. Sooner or later, the Reconstruction acts were passed. Under these Acts, the south was split into five military districts, each controlled by general. Eventually the southern states would meet the qualifications set by Congress to be readmitted into the Union. Southern whites opposed reconstruction. Also, the Ku Klux Klan was developed to promote white supremacy.

Johnson had a strained relationship with Congress. During his presidency Johnson used twenty-nine vetoes while Congress overturned fifteen. Republicans held the majority in Congress for his entire term. Some of the legislation that brought up for passing includes the Freedman Bureau, and the Civil Rights Act. Both of these were vetoed by Johnson and both eventually overridden by Congress. Johnson had some sort of determination to deny civil rights to African Americans. This determination motivated the Joint Committee of Reconstruction to bring up the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment was made a condition to be readmitted into the Union. Overall, Congress was reunited with its opposition of Johnson.

Some positive things that came out of Johnson’s presidency were new amendments added to the Constitution. The thirteenth amendment prohibited slavery as well as involuntary servitude and the fourteenth amendment protected the rights of citizens. Also during his presidency, Alaska was purchased and Nebraska was admitted to the Union. At this time, relations with Great Britain were repaired. It can plainly be said that Johnson had far more negative outcomes from his presidency.

As mentioned above, Reconstruction was one of Johnson’s hardest tasks. Everyone was against him and he never really stood a chance. His inability to have everyone agree could be considered a negative. He was also almost impeached by the end of his term. The Tenure of Office Act forbade the president to remove public officials without the consent of the Senate. With the dismissal of War Stanton, Andrew Johnson was charged with high crime and misdemeanor. Only one vote off from being impeached Andrew Johnson ended his presidency. Overall it could be said that Johnson had too much to accomplish and handle during his term, and he wasn’t the man for the job.

Johnson himself did not leave a huge impact on other presidents but the outcomes of his presidency somewhat did. The state of the Union was not much different than it was from before his presidency; in fact he may have made the matters worse. Over the course of his presidency, he caused a strained relationship between the parties in congress, as well as the congress’s view on the president. With so many vetoes and overturning the balance of powers were truly seen. Basically, the Union was in turmoil when Johnson entered and left as president of United States.

Andrew Johnson left the country in a worse condition. He entered the job in hopes of nursing the wounds of the Civil War. He left without necessarily accomplishing much besides helping the disharmony of the nation. Unfortunately for him, Andrew Johnson was just the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He did not have the leadership skills to guide the US onto a more progressive road. In general, Johnson avoided a complete failure with the few positive outcomes of his presidency. Overall, Andrew deserves a D- for his presidency.

works cited

American President: Andrew Johnson: Impact and Legacy." //Miller Center of Public Affairs // . N.p., n.d. Web. 31 March. 2011. < []>.

DeGregorio, William A.. "Andrew Johnson." //The complete book of U.S. presidents //. 6th ed. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2005. 247-257. Print.

"Party Division in the Senate, 1789-present." //United States Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 March. 2011. .