Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 17th President of the United States from 1865 until 1869, assuming office following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Born in poverty in Raleigh, North Carolina, Johnson rose to prominence through Tennessee politics, serving as a congressman, senator, and military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War. As vice president under Lincoln, Johnson was thrust into the presidency at a critical moment when the nation faced the enormous challenges of Reconstruction following the Civil War. His lenient approach to readmitting Southern states and his opposition to radical Republican efforts to protect freedmen's rights created intense conflict with the Republican-controlled Congress. Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Acts, combined with his attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, prompted the Republican majority to impeach him in 1868 on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. Though acquitted by one vote in the Senate, Johnson's presidency was severely weakened, and his lenient Reconstruction policies were largely reversed. Johnson remains a controversial historical figure whose actions during Reconstruction are often criticized for undermining the advancement of freed enslaved people.