Remembering Andrew Johnson
The other day I journalled about how Andrew Johnson showed up at both of his inaugurations (for Vice-President and for President) drunk. Today happens to be the anniversary of the death of Andrew Johnson, 135 years ago today on July 31, 1875.
Johnson had a rough ride as President. There were two attempts to impeach him and the second one came close. After his term as President was up (in 1869), Johnson was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate from Tennessee in 1868 and to the House of Representatives in 1872. In 1874 the Tennessee legislature did elect him to the U.S. Senate. Johnson served from March 4, 1875, until his death from a stroke near Elizabethton, Tennessee, on July 31 that year. In his first speech since returning to the Senate, which was also his last, Johnson spoke about political turmoil in Louisiana. His passion aroused a standing ovation from many of his fellow senators who had once voted to remove him from the presidency. He is the only former president to serve in the Senate.
Johnson was 66 years old when he died. He was buried in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Greeneville, Tennessee, with his body wrapped in an American flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution placed under his head, according to his wishes. The cemetery is now part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.
Was Johnson a good president or bad one? Surprisingly, views on Johnson have changed over time, depending on historians' perception of Reconstruction. The widespread denunciation of Reconstruction in the late 19th century resulted in Johnson being portrayed in a favorable light. By the 1930s a series of favorable biographies enhanced his prestige.
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s brought a new perspective on Reconstruction, which was increasingly seen as a noble effort to build an interracial nation. Historians noted African American efforts to establish public education and welfare institutions, gave muted praise for Republican efforts to extend suffrage and provide other social institutions, and criticized Johnson for siding with the opposition to extending basic rights to former slaves. Historian Eric Foner denounced Johnson as a "fervent white supremacist" who foiled Reconstruction. Sean Wilentz wrote that Johnson "actively sided with former Confederates" in his attempts to derail it. Thus in modern times Johnson is commonly mentioned among the worst presidents in U.S. history.
Johnson had a rough ride as President. There were two attempts to impeach him and the second one came close. After his term as President was up (in 1869), Johnson was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate from Tennessee in 1868 and to the House of Representatives in 1872. In 1874 the Tennessee legislature did elect him to the U.S. Senate. Johnson served from March 4, 1875, until his death from a stroke near Elizabethton, Tennessee, on July 31 that year. In his first speech since returning to the Senate, which was also his last, Johnson spoke about political turmoil in Louisiana. His passion aroused a standing ovation from many of his fellow senators who had once voted to remove him from the presidency. He is the only former president to serve in the Senate.
Johnson was 66 years old when he died. He was buried in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Greeneville, Tennessee, with his body wrapped in an American flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution placed under his head, according to his wishes. The cemetery is now part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.
Was Johnson a good president or bad one? Surprisingly, views on Johnson have changed over time, depending on historians' perception of Reconstruction. The widespread denunciation of Reconstruction in the late 19th century resulted in Johnson being portrayed in a favorable light. By the 1930s a series of favorable biographies enhanced his prestige.
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s brought a new perspective on Reconstruction, which was increasingly seen as a noble effort to build an interracial nation. Historians noted African American efforts to establish public education and welfare institutions, gave muted praise for Republican efforts to extend suffrage and provide other social institutions, and criticized Johnson for siding with the opposition to extending basic rights to former slaves. Historian Eric Foner denounced Johnson as a "fervent white supremacist" who foiled Reconstruction. Sean Wilentz wrote that Johnson "actively sided with former Confederates" in his attempts to derail it. Thus in modern times Johnson is commonly mentioned among the worst presidents in U.S. history.