Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He was the first president to be impeached, and his presidency was marked by a tumultuous period of Reconstruction following the Civil War. Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1808, and was the son of a tailor. He had little formal education, but was able to teach himself to read and write. He moved to Tennessee in 1826, where he worked as a tailor and eventually opened his own shop.
Johnson was a self-made man, and his political career began in 1835 when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was re-elected several times, and eventually became the state's governor in 1853. In 1857, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1862. During his time in the Senate, Johnson was a strong supporter of the Union and opposed secession.
When the Civil War began, Johnson remained loyal to the Union and was the only senator from a Confederate state to remain in office. He was appointed military governor of Tennessee in 1862, and was instrumental in helping to restore the state to the Union. In 1864, he was chosen as Abraham Lincoln's running mate, and the two were elected to a second term.
Following Lincoln's assassination in 1865, Johnson became president. He was a strong advocate of Reconstruction, and sought to restore the Union while also protecting the rights of former slaves. He issued a series of proclamations that granted amnesty to former Confederate soldiers and allowed them to re-enter the Union. He also issued the Freedman's Bureau Act, which provided education and other assistance to former slaves.
However, Johnson's Reconstruction policies were met with strong opposition from Radical Republicans in Congress. They sought to impose harsher measures on the former Confederate states, and sought to limit Johnson's power. In 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson, but the Senate failed to convict him by one vote.
Despite his impeachment, Johnson's presidency was marked by a number of accomplishments. He was able to restore the Union and protect the rights of former slaves. He also oversaw the passage of the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States. He also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted African Americans the right to sue in federal court.
Andrew Johnson was a complex figure in American history. He was a self-made man who rose from humble beginnings to become president. He was a strong advocate of Reconstruction, but his policies were met with strong opposition from Radical Republicans in Congress. Despite his impeachment, Johnson's presidency was marked by a number of accomplishments, including the passage of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. He was a controversial figure, but his legacy remains an important part of American history.