History UsefulNotes / AndrewJohnson

->''"This Johnson is a queer man."''

Johnson was allowed to complete his inherited term, but, as a result, he was largely powerless and Congress essentially had more power than the president for the next few decades of American history. In 1887, the Tenure of Office Act was repealed by Congress, and subsequent rulings by the United States Supreme Court seemed to support Johnson's position that he was entitled to fire Stanton without Congressional approval. The Supreme Court's ruling on a similar piece of later legislation in ''Myers v. United States'' (1926) affirmed the ability of the President to remove a Postmaster without Congressional approval, and stated in its majority opinion "that the Tenure of Office Act of 1867...was invalid." (Fun fact: UsefulNotes/WilliamHowardTaft was the man who gave the majority opinion on that one.)

* ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3pUKEcQoD0 Tennessee Johnson]]'' is a 1942 {{Biopic}} about him. The film caused some controversy at the time due to its positive portrayal of Johnson.

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, they sold tickets to the trial. Like UsefulNotes/BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, [[DecidedByOneVote only by a single vote]]). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.) Finally, Johnson only had nine months of his term left anyway, and Ulysses S. Grant, who was openly supportive of the Radicals' agenda, was virtually guaranteed to win that year's presidential election; removing Johnson would at best have provided a needless disruption in the transition of power, and at worst could have caused Wade to break off from the main party and make his own bid for the presidency.

-->--'''UsefulNotes/Abraham Lincoln''' on Johnson

->''"There are some who lack confidence in the integrity and capacity of the people to govern themselves. To all who entertain such fears I will most respectfully say that I entertain none... If a man is not capable, and is not to be trusted with the government of himself, is he to be trusted with the government of others... Who, then, will govern? The answer must be, Man — for we have no angels in the shape of men, as yet, who are willing to take charge of our political affairs."''\\
--'''Andrew Johnson'''

->''"[[HaveAGayOldTime This Johnson is a queer man.]]"''\\
--'''Abraham Lincoln''' on Johnson

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, they sold tickets to the trial. Like UsefulNotes/BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, only by a single vote). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.) Finally, Johnson only had nine months of his term left anyway, and Ulysses S. Grant, who was openly supportive of the Radicals' agenda, was virtually guaranteed to win that year's presidential election; removing Johnson would at best have provided a needless disruption in the transition of power, and at worst could have caused Wade to break off from the main party and make his own bid for the presidency.

* ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3pUKEcQoD0 Tennessee Johnson]]'' is a 1942 {{Biopic}} about him. It's mostly in line with the old pro-Confederate "Lost Cause" mythology. Protests from black rights groups caused Creator/{{MGM}} to reshoot some scene before releasing the film, changing Thaddeus Stevens from CardCarryingVillain to WellIntentionedExtremist. It was progress... sort of.

!!Tropes associated with Johnson:
* TheAlcoholic: Grant has a reputation for being the drunk President, but Johnson outdoes him by nearly every standard. He even ''showed up drunk to his inauguration as Vice President''.
* TheApprentice: He was apprenticed to a tailor at age ten (and became interested in learning from people who would come to the shop and read to the tailors as they worked).
* ArchEnemy: The Radical Republicans in Congress.
* BatmanGambit: So hey, President Johnson, Congress has just passed an act over your veto requiring you to gain their approval before you fire any appointees. This is obviously a scheme to impeach you, so the best thing you should do is follow along and play it safe- What's that? You say you want to fire someone anyway?
* CommanderContrarian: 29 vetos, breaking Andrew Jackson's record.
* DecidedByOneVote: In his impeachment, Johnson was acquitted by one vote.
* {{Determinator}}: Was characterized as extremely stubborn, and thin-skinned to criticism.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Two. "Sir Veto", given to him by Congress opponents for the aforementioned most vetoes by a single president up until then, and "The Grim Presence", given to him for his unique ability to kill the mood whenever he entered a room.
* GoldenMeanFallacy: Johnson, being a Southern himself, was a Confederacy-Apologist, and did everything in his power to make the Southern States rejoining the union as easy as possible, [[note]] Though is is also a case of MisBlamed, because this was Lincoln's intention as well before he was assassinated.[[/note]] made him enemies with the Radical Republicans in Congress, who wanted massive reformations in the South before they would be allowed back in.
* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/JohnTyler: running mate for a President of the opposing party, takes office after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed Johnson was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.
* NervesOfSteel: Early in the Civil War, Johnson's train was stopped in Lynchburg, Virgnia by an angry mob of secessionists. They invaded his cabin and one actually assaulted him. Johnson drew a pistol and coolly stood the crowd off until help arrived.
* NotGoodWithPeople: He was famously introverted and had few friends. Towards the end of his presidency, he became so isolated that he reportedly befriended two mice that lived in a hole in his bedroom. He called them his "little fellows."
* PuppetKing: After breaking Andrew Jackson's record for most ever vetos, Congress pretty much allied against him and overturned his vetos ''fifteen times''.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Attempted to emulate UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson, who was also from his state. Failed repeatedly.
* Sketchy Successor: In a sense, his issues in office can be summed up as the Republican-dominated Congress seeing him as an intended rubber stamp for the policies of Abraham Lincoln, and nothing more. [[RoseTintedNarrative This meant passing laws that the Radical Republicans were oh-so-sure that the martyred Lincoln would have wanted]].

* ToughActToFollow: Have fun trying to follow up after ''Abraham Lincoln''.
** This effectively got him impeached; The Republican Congress felt, from day one, that he was to be a rubber stamp for the policies of the already lionized Lincoln, and nothing more.
* VindicatedByHistory: Zig-zagged. In his time, Johnson was regarded as a failure, even by those supportive of his policies. In the early 20th Century, with the rise of "Lost Cause" historiography (hostile towards the Radical Republicans and Reconstruction generally), and the Supreme Court ruling the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional, he started gaining in stature, with historians generally ranking him mediocre-to-good. After the Civil Rights Movement, more historians focused on Johnson's racial views and obstruction of civil rights and Reconstruction, accounting for his current reputation.
* WhatAnIdiot: See BatmanGambit above.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: He too was targeted for assassination by an accomplice of John Wilkes Booth, but the assassin chickened out. That would mean that the President Pro Tempore of the Senate ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_S._Foster Lafayette S. Foster]]) would have been the next President according to the rules of the time.

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, [[PassThePopcorn they sold tickets to the trial]]. Like UsefulNotes/BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, only by a single vote). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.) Finally, Johnson only had nine months of his term left anyway, and Ulysses S. Grant, who was openly supportive of the Radicals' agenda, was virtually guaranteed to win that year's presidential election; removing Johnson would at best have provided a needless disruption in the transition of power, and at worst could have caused Wade to break off from the main party and make his own bid for the presidency.

* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/JohnTyler: selected running mate for a President of the opposing party, takes office after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed Johnson was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.
* NervesOfSteel: Early in the Civil War, Johnson's train was stopped in Lynchburg by an angry mob of secessionists. They invaded his cabin and one actually assaulted him. Johnson drew a pistol and coolly stood the crowd off until help arrived.

* VindicatedByHistory: Zig-zagged. In his time, Johnson was regarded as a failure, even by those supportive of his policies. In the early 20th Century, with the rise of "Lost Cause" mythology (hostile towards the Radical Republicans and Reconstruction generally), and the Supreme Court ruling the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional, he started gaining in stature, with historians generally ranking him mediocre-to-good. After the Civil Rights Movement, more historians focused on Johnson's racial views and obstruction of Reconstruction, accounting for his current reputation.

* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/JohnTyler: selected running mate for a President of the opposing party, soon takes power after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed he was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.

* VindicatedByHistory: Zig-zagged. In his time, Johnson was regarded as a failure, even by those supportive of his policies. In the early 20th Century, with the rise of "Lost Cause" mythology (hostile towards the Radical Republicans and Reconstruction generally), and the Supreme Court ruling the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional, he started gaining in stature, with historians generally ranking him mediocre-to-good. After the Civil Rights Movement, more historians focused on his racial views and obstruction of Reconstruction, accounting for his subsequent (and current) reputation.

* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/JohnTyler: selected the running mate for a President of the opposing party, soon takes power after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed he was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.

* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/John Tyler: selected the running mate for a President of the opposing party, soon takes power after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed he was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.

* HistoryRepeats: His situation strongly parallels UsefulNotes/John Tyler's ascension to the Presidency: selected the running mate for a President of the opposing party, soon takes power after the President's death, clashes with the President's party and narrowly survives an impeachment attempt. Indeed he was warned not to "Tyler-ize" the Republican Party upon taking office, advice he ignored.

* NotGoodWithPeople: He was famously introverted and had few friends. Towards the end of his presidency, he became so isolated that he reportedly befriended two mice that lived in a hole in his bedroom. He called them his "little fellows".

* GoldenMeanFallacy: Johnson, being a Southern himself, was a Confederacy-Apologist, and did everything in his power to make the Southern States rejoining the union as easy as possible, [[note]] Though is is also a case of {{Mis-blamed}}, because this was Lincoln's intention as well before he was assassinated.[[/note]] made him enemies with the Radical Republicans in Congress, who wanted massive reformations in the South before they would be allowed back in.

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, [[PassThePopcorn they sold tickets to the trial]]. Like UsefulNotes/BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, only by a single vote). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.)

'''Andrew Johnson''' (1808-1875) was the seventeenth President of the United States [[TheGildedAge (serving from 1865 to 1869)]], following UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln after his assassination, and preceding UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant, and the sixth from the Democratic Party. Technically speaking, he was elected from the National Union Party (which replaced the Republicans during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar), but historians generally count him as a Democrat. He never went to school, so he had to teach himself how to read and write. Johnson was previously a Congressman from Tennessee (serving in both houses at different points), and was the only Senator from a seceding state to stay with the Union. He was also the Governor of Tennessee at one point, and was later made the state's Military Governor during the Civil War; while holding that position he ordered slavery abolished in Tennessee in October of 1864. Johnson himself, ironically, was a former slaveowner, and the last US President to own slaves at any point in his life. Johnson freed his personal slaves on August 8, 1863, and to commemorate that event, August 8 is officially celebrated as "Emancipation Day" in Tennessee.

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, [[PassThePopcorn they sold tickets to the trial]]. Like UsefulNotes/BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, only by a single vote). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.)

Johnson was allowed to complete his inherited term, but, as a result, he was largely powerless and Congress essentially had more power than the president for the next few decades of American history. In 1887, the Tenure of Office Act was repealed by Congress, and subsequent rulings by the United States Supreme Court seemed to support Johnson's position that he was entitled to fire Stanton without Congressional approval. The Supreme Court's ruling on a similar piece of later legislation in ''Myers v. United States'' (1926) affirmed the ability of the President to remove a Postmaster without Congressional approval, and stated in its majority opinion "that the Tenure of Office Act of 1867...was invalid." (Fun fact: WilliamHowardTaft was the man who gave the majority opinion on that one.)

* SpiritualSuccessor: Attempted to emulate AndrewJackson, who was also from his state. Failed repeatedly.

Being a Southerner himself, Johnson wasn't willing to penalize his own region too harshly. As such, he disagreed ''a lot'' with the Republican-dominated Congress, vetoing many of the Reconstruction bills and amendments (which were usually passed over his veto). It didn't take long before he surpassed AndrewJackson's record for most president vetoes up to that point in history, and more than a few members of his Cabinet resigned in protest. Regarding civil rights for African Americans, Johnson infamously stated, [[ValuesDissonance "This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men."]] Eventually, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the president couldn't fire any of his appointees without Congressional consent. [[BatmanGambit The Radical Republicans knew Johnson would see this as a challenge to his authority, and violate it just to see what happened.]] He did when he fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican raising havoc in Johnson's Cabinet. Congress then impeached Johnson, the first time in American history that the president was impeached. Also, [[PassThePopcorn they sold tickets to the trial]]. Like BillClinton many years later, the House found him guilty but the Senate acquitted him (and this time, only by a single vote). Johnson's lawyer pointed out that Lincoln made the appointment and, technically speaking, Johnson wouldn't have had to gain Congress' approval to fire him. Additionally, many of the Senators argued that the nation had gone through enough lately and that such a major change in leadership wasn't necessary. There was also the case that, since there was no Vice President (at the time, when a VP ascends to the presidency, no one was sent to replace him and thus the position was vacant until the next election), the new President would be widely-disliked president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate Benjamin Wade, who was so far ahead of his time (he supported voting rights for women, legal support for unions, and putting limits on capitalism, all political no-no's back then) that many felt he would have been even worse. (Some cases of bribery have also been reported.)

For the Election of 1864, AbrahamLincoln chose Johnson as his running mate for reelection because, as the only Southern Senator left, he could broaden Lincoln's appeal in the slave states that didn't leave the Union. Johnson was expected to merely rack up a few extra votes for Lincoln and serve a forgettable term as Vice President. Then Lincoln got shot. Oops.

'''Andrew Johnson''' (1808-1875) was the seventeenth President of the United States [[TheGildedAge (serving from 1865 to 1869)]], following UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln after his assassination, and preceding UlyssesSGrant, and the sixth from the Democratic Party. Technically speaking, he was elected from the National Union Party (which replaced the Republicans during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar), but historians generally count him as a Democrat. He never went to school, so he had to teach himself how to read and write. Johnson was previously a Congressman from Tennessee (serving in both houses at different points), and was the only Senator from a seceding state to stay with the Union. He was also the Governor of Tennessee at one point, and was later made the state's Military Governor during the Civil War; while holding that position he ordered slavery abolished in Tennessee in October of 1864. Johnson himself, ironically, was a former slaveowner, and the last US President to own slaves at any point in his life. Johnson freed his personal slaves on August 8, 1863, and to commemorate that event, August 8 is officially celebrated as "Emancipation Day" in Tennessee.