Andrew Johnson: The Union Party

In addition to being divided on the issue on how to bring the Southern states back into the Union, the nation later became divided on the rights that should be bestowed upon the emancipated slaves. After the assassination of President Lincoln, Democratic Vice President Andrew Johnson took control of the executive branch and his background foreshadowed the “political drama” that would take place. President Johnson was a Senator from Tennessee before he entered the Vice Presidency and he had racist leanings and he opposed political rights for the freedmen. Additionally, Johnson was open about his sympathy for the South and he was determined to control the path of Reconstruction. The first example of conflict between Johnson and the Republican

Andrew Johnson, who was in office from 1865, shared similar views to Woodrow Wilson. They favoured the Southern Democratic elite, however took a different approach and attempted to pass more legislation. Johnson was in office at the point of when the civil war had ended, and the Southern states had been defeated, although refusing to admit defeat. Johnson was left with the question of what to do with these states, and unusually for a democrat, believed they needed to join the union. The motive behind these beliefs are unknown, however the likelihood is that he believed this due to the laws on slavery in union

The article begins with a brief biography of President Johnson, who although, never attended school, had a skill for public speaking, which led him to politics and in Lincoln taking notice of him. In December 1865, the Radical Republicans (a foe of Johnson), gained control after Congress denied the southerners representatives seats. By April of 1866, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act in response to the Black Codes, leading to power struggles and name calling between Congress and President Johnson. Congress also over-rode some of Johnson’s vetoes, further limiting his power. As Johnson got further out of control, a special committee voted to impeach him on the grounds of “high crimes and misdemeanors” (History.com). After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that perhaps Johnson was a ‘southern sympathizer’ who indeed deserved impeachment.

The differences between both presidents was that Lincoln wanted equality for all and wanted reconstruction of both South and North states. While Lincoln felt that way about how the North and South should act with equality, Johnson believed the Union should stay intact but, give slaves limited opportunities. Johnson’s view made many citizens dislike him because of slavery and what states should agree with what. The government knew that with Johnson as President nothing would come out of him being in the presidency because instead of reuniting the nations he was parting them in different ways.

The first and truest ideas of democracy were embodied in the politicalideas of Andrew Jackson and the Jacksonian democrats. Calling themselves theguardians of the United States Constitution, the Jacksonian politicians engenderedwide spread liberty under a government which represented all men, rather than onlythe upper class. While some policies under the democrats had evident flaws, theywere, for the most part, eager social reformers who strived to put the power ofgovernment into the hands of the common citizens.

James K. Polk was born on November 2, 1795 in North Carolina, but quickly moved to Tennessee soon after. This is where Polk entered the world of politics by being elected into the Tennessee House of Representatives as a democrat, in 1823. Polk also became Governor of Tennessee in 1839, but that only lasted for one term, even though he ran for reelection in both 1841 and 1843. Suddenly, in 1844 Polk became the “compromise candidate” (History.com Staff) for the Democratic Party during the 1845 election. This was due to Polk seeming to appear at the top of the nominee list out if nowhere and since he was not well known in the states to begin with, he became known as “The Dark Horse Candidate” (History.com Staff)1. During the election Polk ended

Andrew Jackson, the United States 7th president, was so popular that he was still getting votes for the presidential election 15 years after he died! Andrew Jackson grew up as a poor child losing his father before he was born. At 13 year old he lost his mother. Jackson was known as a rambunctious teenager, getting into fights and pulling pranks. At age 17, Jackson grew up a bit starting his study of the law. Much later at age 21, Jackson was named Tennessee’s first representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and a year later was elected to the U.S. Senate. Andrew Jackson early political career was not the reason for his popularity. After the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson became a war hero.

President Johnson was a very political man. He made lots of political decisions. Before he became president he was a senator. He was a senator for Texas, Texas was a southern state, they were very racist to african american people. As a senator he had to do what the people of Texas wanted him to do. So he had to pass a bunch of racist things in congress. Doc D

A. Is correct, because it is the only way that he was placed on the ticket as Lincoln's Vice President. Johnson was the only senator, from a seceding state, to remain with the Union. When he took the oath of office, the war was essentially over. Though he was a southerner and a Democrat, he believed in the power of the union.

Old Hickory never backed away from a fight. Even at seventy-five Andrew Jackson was still fighting and leaving a trail of card games, busted up taverns, liquor bottles, and bloody noses in his wake which earned him the nickname Old Hickory. Jackson became a lawyer on the North Carolina Frontier at age twenty-one and later moved west to Tennessee where he settled down with his wife. In 1815, Jackson was made an American hero because he and his troops were victorious as they held off a British attack known as the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was elected president in 1828 and reelected in 1832. Jackson felt strongly that the common man was the power behind the government, which is why he extended the

Because Johnson was military governor over Tennessee, he could use Johnson on the ballot to gain the traction within the occupied southern states. Lincoln and Johnson could work towards a smoother integration of Tennessee back into the Union.

With the assassination of President Lincoln, the presidency fell upon an old-fashioned southerner named Andrew Johnson. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one of the most unfortunate Presidents. Over time there has been a controversial debate as to whether Johnson deserved to be impeached, or if it was an unconstitutional attempt by Congress to infringe upon the president's authority. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was politically motivated. The spirit of the Jacksonian democracy inspired Andrew Johnson. In 1857, Johnson was then elected to represent Tennessee in the US Senate. "While serving in the Senate, Johnson became an advocate of the Homestead Bill, which was opposed by most Southern Democrats and their

The Jacksonian Democratic Party and the Whig Party each, exemplified different beliefs on the role of the federal government in the economy and towards westward expansion in the 1830s and 1840s. However, the Jacksonian, laissez faire supporting Democrats and the economic nationalistic Whig party shared almost no beliefs except for the removal of American Indians in the areas their supporters wished to settle. The lack of similarities is because the Whigs formed their own party to oppose President Jackson’s strong-armed leadership style and policies which earned him the nickname “King Andrew.” The Jacksonian Democratic Party evolved out of the Democratic-Republican Party in the early 1800s, the core of its membership was composed of farmers, immigrants, and white Southerners. The Whigs formed in 1834 and lasted for 20 years, they were the major political party that opposed Andrew Jackson. The Whigs were created based upon the Federalist beliefs in a strong federal government and adopted many Federalist and National Republican policy ideas, including federal funding for internal improvements, a central bank, and high tariffs to protect the growth of manufacturing enterprises. Overall, the Jacksonian Democratic agrarian Party and the industrialization supporting Whig Party had different beliefs toward the role of the federal government in the economy and towards westward expansion.

reward the Southerners who had remained loyal to the Union, Johnson was nominated to be vice

Federalist party was established in the 1790s as a vision of individuals who were in favor of government, with diplomatic ties with Britain. Basically federalist applied to a person who formally agree with the federal constitution. Federalist party was situated with President George Washington. Although Washington supported most of the federalist policies, however he was against with partisan activity. Federalist party was connected with policies of the Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton. His vision was to make strong central bank and motivate rich investors who develop commerce and manufactures. Federalist believe that by following Hamilton vision it can inspire and give confidence to people of wealth, and make strong national economy. Federalist also was in favored to make trade and investment with Britain because during that time Britain was the only nation wants to promote commerce with United States.