The Presidency of Andrew Johnson
- ISBN-10
- 0700601902
- ISBN-13
- 9780700601905
- Category
- Biography & Autobiography / General
- Pages
- 262
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1979
- Publisher
- Regents Press of Kansas
- Authors
- Albert Castel, Albert E. Castel
Description
Andrew Johnson, who became president after the assassination of Lincoln, oversaw the most crucial and dramatic phase of Reconstruction. Historians have therefore tended to concentrate, to the exclusion of practically everything else, upon Johnson's key role in that titanic event. Although his volume focuses closely on Johnson's handling of Reconstruction, it also examines other important aspects of his administration, notably his foreign, economic, and Indian policies. As one of the few historians to do this, the author provides a broader and more balanced picture of Johnson's presidency than has been previously available.
Johnson has always been an enigma: much is known about what he did, little about why he did it. He wrote few letters, kept no diary, and rarely confided in anyone. Most historians either admire or despise him, depending on whether they consider his Reconstruction policies right or wrong. Castel achieves an objective reassessment of Johnson and his presidential actions by examining him primarily in terms of his effectiveness in using power and by not judging him—as most other scholars have—on moralistic or ideological grounds.
The book begins with an overview of America at the end of the Civil War and a description of Johnson's political career prior to 1865. Castel recounts the drama of Johnson's sudden inheritance of the presidency upon Lincoln's death and then examines how Johnson organized and operated his administration. Johnson's formulation of a Reconstruction policy for the defeated South comes under special scrutiny; Castel evaluates Johnson's motives for that policy, its implementation, and its reception in both North and South. He descries and analyzes Johnson's quarrel with the Republican-dominated Congress over Reconstruction, the triumph of the Republicans in the election of 1866, the president's frustrated attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from office, his bitter dispute with General Ulysses S. Grant, and his impeachment by Congress. Johnson's impeachment trial is covered in detail; Castel explains how it was that Johnson escaped conviction and removal from office by the narrowest possible margin. The book concludes with a discussion of Johnson's place in history as judged by scholars during the past one hundred years.
This study sheds light on the nation's problems during the chaotic period between 1865 and 1869 and contributes a great deal to a much improved understanding of the seventeenth president.
Get the book
Similar books
-
Andrew Johnson: The American Presidents Series: The 17th President, 1865-1869
By Annette Gordon-ReedA Pulitzer Prize-winning historian recounts the tale of the unwanted president who ran afoul of Congress over Reconstruction and was nearly removed from office Andrew Johnson never expected to be president.
-
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
By Chester G. Hearn... 154, 204 Doughtry, Turner 9 Douglas, Stephen A. 15, 17–18, 92 Drake, Charles D. 126 Durrell, Edmund H. 220 Early, ... Hamilton 212 Flanders, Benjamin F. 40 Forney, John W. 39, 40, 207 Forrest, Nathan Bedford 25, 26, 104–105 Foster, ...
-
The Papers of Andrew Johnson
By Andrew JohnsonBowling Green physician , currently Internal Revenue collector for the 2nd district , protests the appointment of Robert M. Hathaway , a non - administration man , as Ist district collector , and recommends the selection of Nimrod B.
-
The Swing Around the Circle: Andrew Johnson and the Train Ride that Destroyed a Presidency
By Garry BoulardPaul H. Bergeron, The Papers of Andrew johnson, Volume 1, August 1866-january 1867 (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1994), 275, 331-33. James Doolittle to AndrewJohnson, 14 October 1866, Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 1, ...
-
Andrew Johnson: A Biography
By Hans Louis TrefousseJohnson to William Lowry , February 13 , 1870 , R. S. Saunders to Johnson , December 13 , 19 , 1869 , J. C. Burch to Johnson ... 2ff . , 10–12 ; A. S. Colyar to Johnson , May 19 , August 30 , October 5 , 1870 , John McGaugey et al . to ...
-
Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy
By David O. Stewart18. counting to SeVen Page 219 [I]t is certain that no man: lady trevelyan, ed., The Works of Lord Macaulay, new York: longmans, green & co. (1897), pp. 634–35. 219 It was all conjecture: Moore diary/large diary, april 19, 1868, p. 14.
-
Andrew Johnson
By Megan M. GundersonThis biography introduces readers to Andrew Johnson including his career as a tailor, early political career, and key events from Johnson's administration including Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act, the Fourteenth Amendment, and his ...
-
Andrew Johnson: Plebeian and Patriot
By Robert Watson WinstonAndrew Johnson: Plebeian and Patriot
-
Andrew Johnson, President of the United States;
By Lillian FosterThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations.
-
The Life and Public Services of Andrew Johnson, Seventeenth President of the United States: Including His State Papers, Speeches and...
By John SavageAbout the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work.