Hail to the Chiefs PArt XVII: Standing on the Constitution
Originally written August 21, 2010
OK boys and girls, let's have a show of hands. How many of you think we're done with the Civil War? All right now how many of you think we're done talking about Lincoln? Trick question! We're not done with either one! With American history, you're never REALLY done talking about the Civil War. If there were to be a drinking game about this blog series, both would be fair game. "Civil War, take a drink. Log cabin, take a drink."
Speaking of drinking games....let's talk about the presidency of Andrew Johnson. One thing that has always perplexed me about Lincoln is brilliant as he was, with often a great knack for putting the right person in the right job....how and why did he leave us with a bonehead like Andy Johnson in charge?
Johnson, like several American presidents, was a man who was quite good at one career, but was promoted beyond what he could really handle. (SEE ALSO: Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter....)
Born in North Carolina, Johnson's father died when he was 3 leaving the family in poverty. Because of his childhood, he had a lifelong resentment of the planter class in the South.
As a teenager he moved to Greenville, Tennessee where he worked as a tailor. This was where he met his wife Eliza, who taught him how to read.
As a politician, Johnson worked really well in Eastern Tennessee. His stump speeches went over quite well. He served as Mayor of Greeneville, in the Tennessee House as Senate, governor of Tennessee, and as a U.S. senator.
Despite being a slave owner, pro- states rights, (and a virulent racist...), Johnson was strongly against secession. During the Civil War, he was the only senator from a seceded state to stay loyal to the Union, and continue to serve as part of Congress. His reasoning behind this was "Damn the negroes, I am fighting those traitorous aristocrats, their masters." To reward this loyalty, Lincoln appointed him as military governor of Tennessee in 1862.
The 1864 was a tough fight for Lincoln. He knew one of the factors to increase his chances was a strategically picked vice-presidential candidate. The vice-president for Lincoln's first term, Hannibal Hamlin, while having a fun name to say, was from Maine and wasn't really going to help gain any additional votes. Nominating the only senator from a Confederate state who stayed loyal to the Union seemed like a good idea at the time.
On inauguration day Johnson supposedly wasn't feeling well. He showed up so drunk that he could barely stand. Lincoln was quite embarrassed. This was pretty much an omen of Johnson's future.
In 1865 John Wilkes Booth headed a conspiracy to kill the president, the secretary of state, and the vice-president. Booth, as we well know, was successful. Secretary of State Seward was severely injured, but survived. Johnson's would-be assassin wussed out. Booth suspected something like this would happen. The day of the assassination Booth stopped by Johnson's house and left him a note saying he'd stop by. Booth figured people would later associate Johnson with Booth after the assassination, and this would cause him problems.
Unlike today, the line of succession was not very clear in the Constitution. After Lincoln's death, his cabinet got together and decided as a group that they would support Johnson as president.
When it came to Reconstruction, Lincoln's attitude had focused a lot on reconciliation. Johnson fought the mostly radical Republican Congress every step of the way with Reconstruction. He was also dead set against suffrage for former slaves. He vetoed the 1865 Civil Rights act which gave African Americans full rights as American citizens. For the first time in American history, Congress would override a presidential veto.
Things got ugly fast. Some members of Congress tried to impeach Johnson. One of the leaders in this movement was Senator Benjamin Wade. Because Johnson was not allowed to select a new vice-president, and the president pro tempore of the senate was next in the line of succession, if Johnson was removed from office, Senator Wade would have become president. Conflict of interest much? Johnson was impeached by the House. However thanks to being one vote shy in the Senate, he was not removed from office.
During this whole period, to try and regain some of his popularity, Johnson decided to go back to the one thing he knew best: making Eastern Tennessee style stump speeches. He dragged along Secretary of State Seward, and General Grant with him, to try and add to his street cred. All of his speeches began with "I stand on the constitution..." Most of the speeches tended to alienate the very people he was trying to win over. Also he didn't quite understand that once he gave the speech, it would be printed in the newspapers, so he couldn't just repeat the same thing wherever he went. So he'd get to another town and say "I stand on the constitution..." and the crowds would make fun of him. Seward and Grant were totally mortified by the whole experience.
Johnson's presidency ended in 1869. He left Washington without attending the inaugural of his successor, General Grant. The only other presidents to leave D.C. in a huff like this were John and John Quincy Adams.
Andrew Johnson returned to Eastern Tennessee. Eventually he went back on the campaign trail, and was elected once more to the senate, the only former U.S. president to do so. He died a few months into his term. He was buried with a copy of the constitution under his head, per his request.
The Yale Course "The Civil War and Reconstruction Era 1845-1877", which I can't recommend strongly enough, has a few informative, and very entertaining, lectures. Professor David Blight is pretty merciless about making fun of Johnson, or "A.J." as he calls him.
Mysteriously Johnson doesn't appear nearly as much in pop culture as Lincoln. Was tempted to use something playing on the whole "Johnson" thing....but instead decided to use this fun song by Jonathan Coulton that mentions every president, dunderheads and all.
OK boys and girls, let's have a show of hands. How many of you think we're done with the Civil War? All right now how many of you think we're done talking about Lincoln? Trick question! We're not done with either one! With American history, you're never REALLY done talking about the Civil War. If there were to be a drinking game about this blog series, both would be fair game. "Civil War, take a drink. Log cabin, take a drink."
Speaking of drinking games....let's talk about the presidency of Andrew Johnson. One thing that has always perplexed me about Lincoln is brilliant as he was, with often a great knack for putting the right person in the right job....how and why did he leave us with a bonehead like Andy Johnson in charge?
Johnson, like several American presidents, was a man who was quite good at one career, but was promoted beyond what he could really handle. (SEE ALSO: Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter....)
Born in North Carolina, Johnson's father died when he was 3 leaving the family in poverty. Because of his childhood, he had a lifelong resentment of the planter class in the South.
As a teenager he moved to Greenville, Tennessee where he worked as a tailor. This was where he met his wife Eliza, who taught him how to read.
As a politician, Johnson worked really well in Eastern Tennessee. His stump speeches went over quite well. He served as Mayor of Greeneville, in the Tennessee House as Senate, governor of Tennessee, and as a U.S. senator.
Despite being a slave owner, pro- states rights, (and a virulent racist...), Johnson was strongly against secession. During the Civil War, he was the only senator from a seceded state to stay loyal to the Union, and continue to serve as part of Congress. His reasoning behind this was "Damn the negroes, I am fighting those traitorous aristocrats, their masters." To reward this loyalty, Lincoln appointed him as military governor of Tennessee in 1862.
The 1864 was a tough fight for Lincoln. He knew one of the factors to increase his chances was a strategically picked vice-presidential candidate. The vice-president for Lincoln's first term, Hannibal Hamlin, while having a fun name to say, was from Maine and wasn't really going to help gain any additional votes. Nominating the only senator from a Confederate state who stayed loyal to the Union seemed like a good idea at the time.
On inauguration day Johnson supposedly wasn't feeling well. He showed up so drunk that he could barely stand. Lincoln was quite embarrassed. This was pretty much an omen of Johnson's future.
In 1865 John Wilkes Booth headed a conspiracy to kill the president, the secretary of state, and the vice-president. Booth, as we well know, was successful. Secretary of State Seward was severely injured, but survived. Johnson's would-be assassin wussed out. Booth suspected something like this would happen. The day of the assassination Booth stopped by Johnson's house and left him a note saying he'd stop by. Booth figured people would later associate Johnson with Booth after the assassination, and this would cause him problems.
Unlike today, the line of succession was not very clear in the Constitution. After Lincoln's death, his cabinet got together and decided as a group that they would support Johnson as president.
When it came to Reconstruction, Lincoln's attitude had focused a lot on reconciliation. Johnson fought the mostly radical Republican Congress every step of the way with Reconstruction. He was also dead set against suffrage for former slaves. He vetoed the 1865 Civil Rights act which gave African Americans full rights as American citizens. For the first time in American history, Congress would override a presidential veto.
Things got ugly fast. Some members of Congress tried to impeach Johnson. One of the leaders in this movement was Senator Benjamin Wade. Because Johnson was not allowed to select a new vice-president, and the president pro tempore of the senate was next in the line of succession, if Johnson was removed from office, Senator Wade would have become president. Conflict of interest much? Johnson was impeached by the House. However thanks to being one vote shy in the Senate, he was not removed from office.
During this whole period, to try and regain some of his popularity, Johnson decided to go back to the one thing he knew best: making Eastern Tennessee style stump speeches. He dragged along Secretary of State Seward, and General Grant with him, to try and add to his street cred. All of his speeches began with "I stand on the constitution..." Most of the speeches tended to alienate the very people he was trying to win over. Also he didn't quite understand that once he gave the speech, it would be printed in the newspapers, so he couldn't just repeat the same thing wherever he went. So he'd get to another town and say "I stand on the constitution..." and the crowds would make fun of him. Seward and Grant were totally mortified by the whole experience.
Johnson's presidency ended in 1869. He left Washington without attending the inaugural of his successor, General Grant. The only other presidents to leave D.C. in a huff like this were John and John Quincy Adams.
Andrew Johnson returned to Eastern Tennessee. Eventually he went back on the campaign trail, and was elected once more to the senate, the only former U.S. president to do so. He died a few months into his term. He was buried with a copy of the constitution under his head, per his request.
The Yale Course "The Civil War and Reconstruction Era 1845-1877", which I can't recommend strongly enough, has a few informative, and very entertaining, lectures. Professor David Blight is pretty merciless about making fun of Johnson, or "A.J." as he calls him.
Mysteriously Johnson doesn't appear nearly as much in pop culture as Lincoln. Was tempted to use something playing on the whole "Johnson" thing....but instead decided to use this fun song by Jonathan Coulton that mentions every president, dunderheads and all.