...President Andrew Johnson Although Andrew Johnson was from the Democratic Party, in 1864, Lincoln chose Johnson as his running mate under the National Union Party banner. When Lincoln died April 15, 1865, Johnson became president. He did not have a Vice President. Johnson now had the job of trying to heal the country after the Civil War left the country in ruins. President Andrew Johnson lifted himself out of extreme poverty to become President of the United States. He was a man with little education who climbed the political ladder and held many different high offices. As a strict constitutionalist, Johnson believed in limiting the powers of the federal government. President Johnson was one of the most bellicose Presidents who “fought” Congress, critics, and many others. President Andrew Johnson faced numerous problems post-Civil War Era including reconstructing the Southern states to combine peacefully with the Union, his battles with Congress, and his career ending impeachment. Following Lincoln’s tragic assassination, President Andrew Johnson took on the accountability of making Reconstruction a reality. Andrew Johnson wanted to use Lincoln’s ideas of reconstruction but in a modified form. Since Congress would be in recess for eight more months Johnson decided to go ahead with his plan. Johnson was initially left to devise a Reconstruction policy without legislative intervention, as Congress was not due to meet again until December 1865. Radical Republicans told the...
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... in 1865, the United States was struck with a tragedy to the nation, which was Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. He was an outstanding president, a great man, and could not be replaced. However, now he needed to be replaced because the country needed to be ran and the next in line was Lincoln’s vice president, Andrew Johnson. He was forced into a leading position during one of the nation’s most difficult times, the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, and received a lot of attention, mostly negative. Many suspected him of being very biased towards the South and this ultimately lead to a lot of conflict between Johnson and Congress. The Republicans of Congress at the time, mostly the Radicals, wanted to remove Johnson from office as soon as possible for a number of reasons. First, his plan for reconstruction after the Civil War was much too lenient towards the South. Johnson’s “laid back” plan gave many opportunities for Southern states to move around the rules because none of his terms were even requirements. States chose not to follow his...
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...Reconstruction • Lincoln dies - Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat, becomes president Johnson the Politician • Johnson owned a few slaves and defended slavery and "states' rights" • But he was a small time farmer who did not own slaves early in his life. • He got elected by protecting the rights of non-slaveholding yeoman farmers • He proposed the Homestead Act • But he cared more about the Union than he did about slavery, so when the South seceded, he was the only Southern senator to remain loyal to the Union • That is why the republicans chose him to be Lincoln’s vice-presidential candidate in the 1864 election, so that border states with large slave-holding populations would vote for the Republican candidate • But when Lincoln died, Johnson implemented his own Reconstruction Plan during the first 8 months of his term as president. (It was based on Lincoln’s “Ten Percent Plan”) Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan • Handed out thousands of pardons to Confederate soldiers and politicians • Enforced Lincoln’s plan to admit states if they ratified the 13th Amendment • Took back the land promised to the slaves of Edisto Island, South Carolina (“40 Acres and a Mule”) • But, Johnson's plan left rebuilding the South in the hands of the same people who controlled the Southern governments during slavery • “States Rights” , to Johnson, meant not just letting the South rebuild what the Union army destroyed, but...
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...1. "Dismal indeed was the picture presented by the war-wracked South when the rattle of musketry faded." Explain. Not only had an age perished, but a civilization had collapsed, economically and socially. Cities were reduced to rubble, there was no economic life; banks and businesses collapsed. The transportation system had broken down completely. Agriculture was hopelessly crippled. The planter aristocrats were humbled. Southerners were resentful and in denial. Freedmen Define Freedom Know: Exodusters, American Methodist Episcopal Church, American Missionary Association 2. How did African-Americans respond to emancipation in the decade following the war? Many southerners resisted this so they killed many slaves, etc. Some slaves were loyal to their master and resisted the liberating Union armies, other slaves' pent up bitterness burst forth violently on the day of liberation. Many newly emancipated slaves joined union troops in pillaging and some slaves got revenge. When the masters were forced to tell their slaves that they were free, some slaves were suspicious but later they celebrated. Emancipated slaves took on journeys to test their freedom, find lost family, look for jobs, etc. The Freedmen's Bureau Know: Freedmen's Bureau, General Oliver O. Howard 3. Assess the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau. It taught ~ 200,000 blacks how to read and many former slaves had a passion for learning. All generations wanted to learn. But it was less effective in...
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...there was a moderate politician and a reflective thinker – President Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest statesmen of all time, Lincoln advocated a lenient stance, envisioning a “restoration” whereby the southern states would pledge allegiance and reenter the Union under the Constitution. Lincoln proved to be a great negotiator and worked successfully during the war to join opposing sides to unite behind the Emancipation Proclamation and passage of the 13th Amendment. Lincoln appealed to the common man and was revered by many of his era. One of his greatest admirers was poet Walt Whitman who penned his famous poem “Captain, My Captain” as a tribute to Lincoln and, according to Reynolds in Lincoln and Whitman, called Lincoln “the greatest, best, most characteristic,...
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...President Andrew Johnson did not exile, imprison, or execute any Confederate leaders with the end of the Civil War. Instead, there was political conflict between parties with different factions of individuals wanting very different things (Boyer, page 470). In fact, there was only a small group lead by Senator Charles Sumner and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens who supported black suffrage. Even before the Civil War, there was conflict about Lincoln’s Plan for reconstruction. Lincoln wanted to incorporate ex-Confederate members while other Republicans “envisioned a slower readmission process that would bar even more ex-Confederates from political life” (Boyer, page 471). The Presidential reconstruction plan consisted of granting pardons to disqualified...
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...office is not what we are judging today - if that’s the case, most of America (and all of Twitter) would agree that President Donald Trump takes the cake. Instead, we are assessing their performance in the office, such as what policies they created and how they dealt with national debates. It took some thought, but the top four worst presidencies in United States history would have to be William Harrison, Andrew Johnson, Herbert Hoover, and John Adams. William Harrison was a nice fellow. However, his presidency only lasted 31 days. After being sworn into office as the ninth President of the United States, he gave the longest inauguration address in history...
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...the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation, as well as legislation such as the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, was causing a new awakening of democracy; while the renouncing of secession by the South marked a definite triumph for Nationalism. As well, the government was involved in altercations of its own. During reconstruction, the legislative and executive branches eventually came to blows over the use of power. The nation was being altered by forces which caused, and later repaired, a broken Union. The first of these "forces", was the expansion of democracy. As early as 1862, Lincoln was taking a major step in that direction. On September 22, Lincoln announced the freeing of all slaves in areas not in Union control. Although the proclamation did not free all slaves everywhere, it was the action that would push Congress to pass the thirteenth amendment in 1865. The amendment, ratified later in 1865, stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." It seemed democracy had triumphed by giving freedom to slaves, but the amendment was not complete. It only stopped slavery, and made no provisions for citizenship; therefore, blacks were still not considered United States citizens. The fourteenth amendment was the democratic expansion that fixed that problem. Originally passed to "put a number of matters beyond the control or discretion...
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...(History Channel) Even after the ratification was submitted African Americans still felt as if they were not treated equally. “In the decades after its adoption, the equal protection clause was cited by a number of African American activists who argued that racial segregation denied them the equal protection of law.” (History Channel) Even after the ratification many states still denied these citizens the right to vote which later was brought upon in the 15th amendment. () After the ratification was over with Congress then moved on to the next amendment even though the 14th amendment is still in dispute by many until this day. After Abraham Lincoln was assinated in 1865 Andrew Johnson was appointed as president of the United States. “Andrew Johnson was the President of the United States during the ratification of the 14th Amendment; he assumed the roles of the Presidency as a result of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.” () Andrew Johnson was not in favor of what the 14th amendement represented in giving African Americans their equal rights. “Johnson was in favor of leaving the future of black people in the hands of white Southerners.” () Andrew Johnson didn’t have a problem with voicing his opinion and how he felt about the Reconstruction Act, especially in a letter to his friend William Cullen Bryant. “The president grew much excited and expressed the most bitter hatred of the measure in all its parts, declaring that it was nothing but anarchy and chaos, that the people...
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...Andrew Johnson had a lot of interesting things happen to him and his family in his life. He had family members die, had some rebellions, and even held many different official positions. In this paper I am going to tell you about how his life began and all the different things that happened, and about the offices he held. Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina, to his dad Jacob Johnson, and his mother Marry McDonough. He was born into a family that was in poverty. He also had a brother and a sister, but his sister died during her childhood. His father died when he was three, and his mom got remarried to Turner Doughtry. When Andrew Johnson was ten his mom sent him to be an apprentice to a tailor. He had to work...
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...1.5.3 Test (TS): Post Civil War America! ! ! Test! U.S. History since the Civil War Sem 1 (S2561969)! ! ! SU14-Alex Sanford! Points possible: 60! ! ! ! ! ! Unit Six Big Question: What were the social and political consequences of the Civil War? What factors led to the expansion of the United States during the period after the Civil War, and what were the effects of expansion?! Section 1: Short Answer Questions (30 points)! Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned.! A. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution changes laws for the entire country. Three amendments changed laws especially for African Americans. Explain how each of the following amendments changed the law for African Americans. (10 points total)! ! a. Thirteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It freed all African Americans and prevented them from being forced to return to slavery.! ! ! b. Fourteenth Amendment (4 points)! ! ! ! c. Fifteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! ! The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. All African Americans were now counted for purposes of representation.! The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and...
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...the ratification of the 15th amendment, enactment of the “Jim Crow” laws, Civil Rights Act, Wounded Knee, and the Spanish American War. This essay will attempt to illustrate the events that wrought change to the Americas, the key fueling factors in the momentum of change. The Presidential Reconstruction began with Andrew Johnson’s impeachment. Johnson possessed a background that mirrored Abraham Lincoln’s. Johnson was raised in poverty, which fueled his drive for prosperity and aided in his development into a businessman. Johnson was also a very qualified candidate for the presidency and boasted a politically accomplished resume.(Jenkins, 2003) Unfortunately, Johnson’s extreme disdain for the slavery lead to his demise, this was often translated into the belief that his plans for American restoration and reconstruction would be extremely detrimental to southerners, even worse then Abraham Lincoln’s plans. Republican extremist fought for him to incorporate Black suffrage, but Johnson viewed this unfavorable. Not only was Johnson a punctilious nationalist and constitutionalist, which gave him the perception that he was incapable as president to independently distribute citizenship and suffrage, and had a goal for states to assume their respective rights.(Zinn, 2003) The main causations...
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...when he uses his influence and power to have an affair, when he goes to war without Congress making a declaration of war; there are times when he makes executive agreement that the Senate can do nothing about. There are also times when the president is impeached, which is the greatest of punishments when concerning the president. The president has many powers, both given by the Constitution and inferred. The president has a list of his powers and what he is allowed to do while in office. The Constitution itself gives the president his rights and boundaries. For instance, the president is allowed to be elected to a term for four years according to Article II of the Constitution. “He shall hold his office during the Term of four Years, together with the Vice President…” (Lawler, pg. 411) A follow up to this would be the 22nd Amendment which states that the president cannot be elected for more than two terms. “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice…” (Lawler, pg 422) This amendment was put into place after Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for and won the presidency three times in a row and Congress realized that there could be some people who would continue to run and perhaps win until they die in office. This could lead to a dictatorship and it is better to not risk it, just in case a president decides to take more power than he has. My point in this is that from the beginning the Founding Fathers were trying not to make the...
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...after 1865 This was a time when America was trying to find herself. These were the years known as the Reconstruction Period from 1865-1877. During this time period, the African-American people became free from slavery but one can only imagine what free really is. While the nation search for ways to establish true meaning of equality, African-American people continued to struggle to find out just what equality means and to have the same rights and freedom as the white people in the nation. Whether as slaves or free people, the political and social status of African Americans has always been to obtain the ability to participate in the nation’s economy. While many historians believe that slavery and politics can be attributed to the Civil War, more than 600,000 Americans died and with the help of the Emancipation Proclamation to start the motion to free the slaves, America became even more a divided country in 1865 than the previous earlier years (Bowles, 2011). Although freedom in the post-Civil War years did not guarantee equality, African Americans continued to struggle from racism, segregation and discrimination for many years, but the birth of equality is beginning to grow and show that all men and women are created equal. The effort to integrate African Americans (ex-slaves) in the American society after the war, known as the Reconstruction Period, was a very difficult task and while the country was divided between the North and South, racism was still very much alive...
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...and the essential goodness of humanity. The views of the Social Gospel movement were given formal expression in 1908 when the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America adopted what was later called "the social creed of the churches." Advocated in the creed were the abolition of child labor, better working conditions for women, one day off during the week, and the right of every worker to a living wage. With the rise of the organized labor movement in the early 20th cent. the Social Gospel movement lost much of its appeal as an independent force. However, many of its ideals were later embodied in the New Deal legislation of the 1930s New Nationalism was Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive political philosophy during the 1912 election. He made the case for what he called the New Nationalism in a speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, in August 1910. The central issue, he argued, was human welfare versus property rights. He insisted that only a powerful federal government could regulate the economy and guarantee social justice. Roosevelt believed that the concentration in industry was not necessarily bad, if the industry behaved itself. He wanted executive agencies (not the courts) to regulate business. The federal government should be used to protect the laboring man, women and children from what he believed to be exploitation. In terms of policy, the New Nationalism supported child labor laws and a minimum wage laws for women. The book Promise of American Life, written by Herbert...
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