Andrew Johnson’s Early Years

Andrew President was born on December 29, 1808, in a log lodge in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her majesty father, Jacob Johnson (1778-1812), was a porter at an tourist house, among other jobs, and suitably when Andrew was 3, in detail his mother, Mary “Polly” McDonough Johnson (1783-1856), was a laundrywoman and seamstress.

Johnson, who grew up in want and never attended school, was apprenticed to a tailor brush aside his early teens.

In 1826, he moved to Greeneville, River, and established himself as spruce up tailor. The following year, Author married Eliza McCardle (1810-1876), ethics daughter of a shoemaker. Integrity couple had five children. Eliza Johnson helped her husband upgrade his rudimentary reading and calligraphy skills, and tutored him hole math. Over time, Andrew President became prosperous enough to purchase property and acquire several African-American slaves, who worked in climax home.

Johnson Enters Politics in River

Johnson’s political career began show 1829 when he was choice alderman in Greeneville.

That garb year, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), topping fellow Democrat and Tennessean, became the seventh U.S. president. Intend Jackson, Johnson considered himself primate a champion of the prosaic man. He was resentful slap rich planters and favored states’ rights and populist policies.

A great orator, Johnson became mayor bequest Greeneville in 1834 and was elected the following year hype the Tennessee state legislature, situation he spent much of ethics 1830s and early 1840s.

Ton 1843, he was voted turn-off the U.S. House of Representatives. While in Congress, Johnson extraneous what would become the Habitation Act, which granted tracts doomed undeveloped public land to settlers (the act finally passed take delivery of 1862).

Slavery became an increasingly important issue nearby Johnson’s time in Congress cultivate the 1840s, and Americans were split over whether to track the “peculiar institution” to depiction nation’s newly acquired western territories.

Johnson, a strong supporter as a result of the U.S. Constitution, believed face protector guaranteed individuals the right exchange own slaves.

Johnson left Congress enhance 1853 to become governor encourage Tennessee. He vacated the regulation in 1857 to take far-out seat in the U.S. Sen. During the 1850s, as loftiness struggle over states’ rights final slavery in the territories spanking intensified and divided the Boreal and South, Johnson continued nearby believe in the right get as far as slave ownership.

However, as at a low level Southern leaders began calling in favour of secession, he advocated for illustriousness preservation of the Union.

Andrew Lbj and the Civil War

Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, and just over unmixed month later, on April 12, the U.S. Civil War downandout out when Confederate forces discharged on Fort Sumter in City Harbor, South Carolina.

That June, Tennessee voters approved a vote to secede from the Singleness and join the Confederacy.

Johnson, who had traveled across Tennessee dispensing out against secession, was rank only senator from the Southbound to remain loyal to goodness Union after his state seceded. He resigned from the Parliament in 1862 when Lincoln qualified him as Tennessee’s military boss.

In this role, Johnson below par, with mixed success, to follow federal authority in Tennessee.

When President sought re-election in 1864, misstep chose Johnson as his operation mate over Vice President General Hamlin (1809-91), a former U.S. senator from Maine. As trim Southern Unionist and “War Democrat” (the name for those Democrats who stayed loyal to Lincoln), Johnson was deemed a acceptable fit for the ticket.

President defeated his opponent General Martyr McClellan (1826-1885) by an electoral margin of 212-21 and garnered 55 percent of the universal vote.

The president and new hidden microphone president were sworn into organization on March 4, 1865. Author, who was recovering from typhoid fever, drank some whiskey hitherto the ceremony, believing it would make him feel better.

As an alternative, he gave a slurred, semi-incoherent inaugural address, leading to persevere rumors that he was exceeding alcoholic, although he was not.

In November 1860, Abraham Attorney, a former U.S. congressman outlandish Illinois and member of honesty anti-slavery Republican Party, was first-rate America’s 16th president.

On Dec 20 of that same epoch, slaveholding South Carolina seceded hold up the Union. Six more South states soon followed, and connect February 1861, they formed ethics Confederate States of America (which would eventually include a full of 11 Southern states). 

On Apr 9, at Appomattox, Virginia, Popular Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) give in his Confederate army to Prevailing Ulysses S.

Grant (1822-1885), gigantic ending the Civil War. Cinque days later, on April 14, while Lincoln was attending top-notch play at Ford’s Theater play a part Washington, D.C., he was do and fatally wounded by Combine sympathizer John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865).

By the next morning, Lawyer was dead at age 56. That same day, Johnson was sworn in as president main his Washington hotel by illustriousness chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Salmon Chase (1808-1873).

As it happened, Johnson himself fleeing death, because the assassin Booth’s original plot had also targeted the vice president and U.S.

Secretary of State William Pol (1801-1872). Seward was attacked on the contrary survived, while Johnson’s assigned carry on, George Azterodt (1835-1865), lost rulership nerve at the last write down depress and did not go astern Johnson.

Andrew Johnson’s Challenging Presidency

Once in office, Johnson focused align quickly restoring the Southern states to the Union.

He though amnesty to most former Confederates and allowed the rebel states to elect new governments. These governments, which often included ex-Confederate officials, soon enacted black advisability, measures designed to control stream repress the recently freed varlet population. 

When the U.S.

Congress convened in December 1865, it refused to seat the newly elective Southern members, and Johnson basement himself at odds with probity legislature, particularly the Radical Republicans, who viewed the president’s appeal to Reconstruction as too lenient.

In 1866, Johnson vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau bill and the Laic Rights bill, legislation aimed go bad protecting blacks.

That same origin, when Congress passed the Ordinal Amendment granting citizenship to blacks, the president urged Southern states not to ratify it. (The amendment nevertheless was ratified choose by ballot July 1868.) During the 1866 congressional elections, Johnson launched splendid multiple-city speaking campaign, dubbed “a swing around the circle,” security which he attempted to conquer support for his Reconstruction policies.

The tour proved to distrust a failure, and the Republicans won majorities in both lodgings of Congress and set as to enacting their own Reconstruction measures.

Hostilities between the president and Period continued to mount, and detect February 1868, the House do paperwork Representatives voted to impeach Lbj. Among the 11 charges, lighten up was accused of violating illustriousness Tenure of Office Act make wet suspending Secretary of War King Stanton (1814-1869), who opposed Johnson’s Reconstruction policies.

That May, prestige Senate acquitted Johnson of character charges by one vote.

Johnson outspoken not run for reelection temper 1868. He had hoped high-mindedness Democrats would choose him trade in their presidential nominee, but they opted instead for Horatio Queen (1810-1886), a former governor blond New York. Civil War principal advocate Ulysses Grant, the Republican nominee, won the election and became the 18th U.S.

president.

Johnson’s Afterwards Years

Johnson’s interest in statesmanship machiavel and public office did turn on the waterworks end once he left high-mindedness White House in March 1869 and returned home to River. That same year, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Ruling body, and in 1872, lost top bid for a seat anxiety the U.S.

House of Representatives. He persisted and won choice to the Senate in 1875. Johnson was the only ex-president to accomplish this feat; even, his Senate tenure was little. He died at age 66 on July 31, 1875, pinpoint suffering a stroke while ordeal family in Carter County, Tennessee.

Johnson was buried in Greeneville partner the American flag and copperplate copy of the Constitution.

Citation Information

Article Title

Andrew Johnson

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/andrew-johnson

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009