southwold-scene.com – Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, remains one of the most controversial and complex figures in American political history. Born into poverty, with no formal education, Johnson rose from the humble beginnings of a tailor’s apprentice to the highest office in the land. His presidency came at a tumultuous time, following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln during the final days of the Civil War. Johnson’s legacy is largely defined by his struggles during Reconstruction, his contentious relationship with Congress, and his controversial approach to reuniting a fractured nation. While his policies and political actions were divisive, Johnson’s journey from tailor to president remains a testament to the opportunities and challenges of 19th-century American democracy.
This article explores Andrew Johnson’s early life, political rise, presidency, and the lasting impact he had on the United States, particularly in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Early Life: Humble Beginnings
Childhood and Apprenticeship
Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to a poor and struggling family. His father, Jacob Johnson, worked as a porter and janitor but died when Andrew was only three years old. This tragedy left Johnson’s mother, Mary McDonough Johnson, to provide for her two sons. Life was difficult, and Andrew Johnson grew up in dire poverty, receiving no formal education as a child.
At the age of ten, Johnson was apprenticed to a tailor in Raleigh, a trade that he would carry with him throughout his early adult life. Despite the hardships of his apprenticeship, it was during this period that Johnson began to cultivate a thirst for knowledge. Self-taught and largely autodidactic, he learned to read and write through his exposure to books that clients would lend him in the tailor shop. This formative experience shaped his future as a self-made man, determined to rise above his circumstances through hard work and determination.
Move to Tennessee and Political Ambitions
In 1826, at the age of 18, Johnson moved to Greeneville, Tennessee, where he opened his own tailor shop. Johnson quickly became a part of the local community, and it was here that his political career began. He married Eliza McCardle, a local woman who played a crucial role in helping him improve his literacy skills, and together they raised five children.
Johnson’s tailor shop became a hub for political discussions, where he voiced his strong opinions on local and national issues. His ability to connect with working-class citizens, combined with his populist rhetoric, resonated with the people of Greeneville. By 1829, Johnson entered local politics, serving as an alderman before being elected mayor of Greeneville in 1834. His rise to political prominence was swift, propelled by his appeal to the common man and his defense of the interests of small farmers and laborers.
Political Rise: Defender of the Union
State and National Politics
Johnson’s political ascent continued as he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835, where he advocated for policies that benefited the working class, including support for states’ rights and limited government intervention. His political philosophy was rooted in a populist ideology that emphasized the rights of the common man, particularly small farmers and craftsmen, over the interests of the wealthy planter class.
In 1843, Johnson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served five terms. He gained a reputation as a staunch advocate for Western expansion and the interests of the frontier states. However, Johnson’s defining stance came with his unwavering loyalty to the Union. As a Southern Democrat, Johnson’s strong belief in the Union set him apart from many of his Southern colleagues, particularly as tensions over slavery escalated in the lead-up to the Civil War.
Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senate
After leaving Congress in 1853, Johnson served as the Governor of Tennessee, and in 1857, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. His time in the Senate solidified his national profile, particularly as the issue of slavery increasingly divided the country. Johnson, who owned a few slaves, was not an abolitionist, but he opposed secession and believed that preserving the Union was paramount. His views placed him at odds with many Southern leaders, but his commitment to the Union earned him the respect of Northern Democrats and some Republicans.
When Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, Johnson was the only Southern senator who remained loyal to the Union, refusing to resign his Senate seat. His steadfast loyalty made him a symbol of Southern Unionism, and in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Johnson as military governor of Tennessee. In this role, Johnson worked to restore federal authority in the state, implementing policies aimed at bringing Tennessee back into the Union fold.
Ascension to the Presidency
Vice Presidency and Lincoln’s Assassination
In 1864, as the Civil War raged on, Abraham Lincoln chose Johnson as his running mate for his re-election bid. Lincoln and Johnson ran on the National Union Party ticket, a coalition of Republicans and pro-Union Democrats, as a symbol of national unity. Johnson’s status as a Southern Democrat who had remained loyal to the Union was seen as a strategic move to appeal to war-weary voters in both the North and the South.
However, Johnson’s brief tenure as Vice President took a dramatic turn when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April 1865, just days after the end of the Civil War. Johnson, who had been Vice President for only six weeks, suddenly found himself thrust into the presidency at a critical moment in the nation’s history. With the war over, Johnson now faced the monumental task of leading the country through the complex and contentious period of Reconstruction.
Johnson’s Presidency: Reconstruction and Conflict
Presidential Reconstruction: A Lenient Approach
Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction was shaped by his belief in a lenient and conciliatory policy toward the former Confederate states. He aimed to quickly reunite the country by offering amnesty to most former Confederates and allowing the Southern states to re-establish their governments with minimal interference from the federal government. In his view, the restoration of the Union should be swift and should not come with harsh conditions.
Under Johnson’s plan, Southern states were required to renounce secession, repudiate Confederate debts, and ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. However, Johnson did not support granting civil rights or voting rights to newly freed African Americans, leaving such decisions in the hands of the Southern states. His lenient policies toward the South allowed many former Confederates to regain political power, and the Black Codes—laws designed to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans—soon emerged across the Southern states.
Conflict with Congress and Impeachment
Johnson’s lenient policies toward the South angered many Radical Republicans in Congress, who believed that Reconstruction should include significant protections for the rights of African Americans and a more thorough transformation of Southern society. As a result, Johnson’s presidency was marked by a deep and bitter conflict with Congress over the direction of Reconstruction.
In 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and the Reconstruction Acts, which placed the Southern states under military control and mandated the inclusion of African Americans in the political process. Johnson vetoed these bills, but Congress overrode his vetoes, a rare and dramatic move that highlighted the growing divide between the president and the legislative branch.
The conflict between Johnson and Congress came to a head in 1868, when Johnson attempted to remove Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War and a key ally of the Radical Republicans, in violation of the Tenure of Office Act. This led to Johnson’s impeachment by the House of Representatives, making him the first U.S. president to be impeached. Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office, as the Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required to convict him.
Johnson’s Legacy: A Controversial Figure
Reconstruction’s Shortcomings
Johnson’s presidency had a lasting impact on the course of Reconstruction and the future of race relations in the United States. His lenient approach to the South allowed former Confederates to regain political power and effectively curtailed the progress of civil rights for African Americans. While Johnson believed that the states should have control over their own affairs, his failure to protect the rights of African Americans left a legacy of racial inequality that would persist for decades.
The rise of Jim Crow laws and the entrenchment of racial segregation in the South can be traced, in part, to the failures of Johnson’s Reconstruction policies. His opposition to Congressional efforts to secure civil rights for African Americans set the stage for a long and difficult struggle for racial equality in the United States.
The First Impeached President
Johnson’s impeachment remains one of the most significant moments in American political history. While he was not removed from office, the impeachment trial highlighted the tension between the executive and legislative branches of government and set a precedent for future impeachments. Johnson’s survival by just one vote underscores the deep political divisions of the time and the high stakes of the Reconstruction era.
A Complex Legacy
Andrew Johnson’s legacy is a complex one. He is often remembered as a president who failed to rise to the challenges of Reconstruction and whose policies contributed to the long-standing racial divisions in the United States. However, Johnson’s rise from a poor tailor to the presidency is also a testament to the American ideals of self-reliance and upward mobility. His steadfast loyalty to the Union during the Civil War earned him the respect of many, but his inability to navigate the complexities of Reconstruction left a tarnished legacy.
Conclusion: From Tailor to President
Andrew Johnson’s life and career embody both the promise and the perils of American democracy. His journey from poverty to the presidency is a powerful example of the opportunities available to individuals in 19th-century America, but his struggles during Reconstruction reveal the deep divisions and challenges that faced the nation in the aftermath of the Civil War.
As a president, Johnson’s lenient policies toward the South and his opposition to civil rights for African Americans have made him a controversial figure in American history. His presidency serves as a reminder of the difficulties of leadership during times of national crisis and the lasting impact that political decisions can have on the future of the country.
In the end, Andrew Johnson’s legacy is one of both triumph and failure—a legacy shaped by his rise from tailor to president and by his contentious role in one of the most challenging periods of American history.