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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Andrew Johnson, the 17th US President

Johnson, who was raised in poverty since birth, never went to school. Before moving to Greeneville, Tennessee, he worked as a tailor鈥檚 apprentice in several frontier communities. Prior to his 1835 election to the Tennessee House of Representatives, he held the offices of mayor and alderman there.

From 1865 until 1869, Andrew Johnson served as the 17th president of the United States. He was vice president when Abraham Lincoln was killed, and he took over as president after that. Johnson, a Democrat who ran against Lincoln for the National Union Party nomination, was elected just as the Civil War was nearing an end.

He supported a speedy return of the secessionist states to the Union without providing any security for the freshly liberated former slaves. Due to the disagreement, this caused with the Republican-controlled Congress, the House of Representatives impeached him in 1868. By one vote, the Senate cleared him of all charges. Here are the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Andrew Johnson, the 17th US President;

1. Andrew Johnson never Attended School

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Johnson, who was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in December 1808 to two working-class parents, had few advantages growing up. After his father passed away in 1812, he spent his youth in a log cabin where he worked rather than going to school and trained as a tailor.

Johnson learned the basics of reading on his own, but he didn鈥檛 start a formal education until he wed Eliza McCardle in Tennessee in 1827. He learned the fundamentals of maths and writing from McCardle, developing abilities that eventually helped him buy real estate and achieve affluence he had previously thought unattainable.

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2. He became a Mayor at the Age of 22

Johnson established his tailor business at the age of 19, and at 22, he was chosen to serve as the mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee. He held the position for four years. In 1835, he was subsequently chosen to serve in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Before being chosen for the Congress in 1843, he later rose to the position of Tennessee State Senator.

3. Johnson Owned at Least Ten Slaves

Johnson bought Dolly, a 14-year-old slave, in 1843. She was Johnson鈥檚 first acquisition. Liz, Florence, and William were Dolly鈥檚 three children. He bought Sam, Dolly鈥檚 half-brother, not long after Dolly. Sam rose to the position of commissioner of the Freedmen鈥檚 Bureau and was regarded as a proud individual who bargained with the Johnson family about the details of his job. Notably, he was paid some money for his work and bargained with Andrew Johnson to get a piece of land that he gave him for free in 1867.

Henry, then 13 years old and subsequently going with the Johnson family to the White House, was bought by Andrew Johnson in 1857. Nevertheless, on August 8, 1863, Andrew Johnson liberated his slaves; they continued to work for him as hired servants. Johnson announced the liberation of Tennessee鈥檚 slaves a year later in his capacity as military governor of Tennessee.

4. The only Southerner to Maintain his Position upon Secession

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Johnson served as Tennessee鈥檚 US Representative from 1843 until he was chosen as the state鈥檚 governor in 1853. In 1857, he was elected to the US Senate. He backed the right to own slaves and the Fugitive Slave Act while he was a member of Congress. Johnson, however, was the lone Southern senator who disagreed when states began to break away from the Union in 1861. He kept his seat as a result of this. He was seen as a traitor by Southerners. Ironically, Johnson regarded supporters of abolition as well as secession as enemies of the union.

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5. He was almost Killed along with President Abraham Lincoln

John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865; if Booth had a chance, that day would have seen the deaths of Johnson and several other people. Before their fateful rendezvous with Lincoln at Ford鈥檚 Theatre in Washington, Booth met with three of his accomplices. Booth gave the first two of them the order to assassinate Secretary of State Seward, while the third, George Atzerodt, was given the order to assault Johnson.

While Booth was getting ready to kill the President, Seward was accosted at his home by Booth鈥檚 henchmen, who nearly killed him by stabbing him. Johnson was sleeping at a neighboring hotel, so Atzerodt set up shop there and tried to get the nerve to knock on Johnson鈥檚 door and shoot him. Atzerodt, though, was unsuccessful. Instead, he took a walk. He confessed to his involvement in the crime following Lincoln鈥檚 death and a wave of arrests, and on July 7 of that year, he was hanged.

6. Andrew Fought Against the Radical Republicans During Reconstruction

President Lincoln鈥檚 idea for reconstruction was to be carried out according to Johnson鈥檚 blueprint. To mend the union, they both believed it was critical to be tolerant of the South. Johnson鈥檚 plan was unsuccessful, though, since the Radical Republicans in Congress took control of Congress before Johnson could implement it. Acts like the Civil Rights Act of 1866 were put in place as a means of putting pressure on the South to change and recognize its defeat. A total of fifteen bills related to reconstruction were vetoed by Johnson, but they were all overridden. Along with releasing slaves and defending their civil liberties, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments were also passed during this period.

7. Johnson Purchased Alaska

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Russia had been claiming ownership of Alaska for well over a century. During an expedition in 1741, the Russians were the ones who had first surveyed the 586,000 square mile region. Fur trading proved lucrative for years, but in the 1850s, Russia began talking about selling the area to the United States due to a slow fall in exports and growing fears that they would be invaded by American or British armies.

William Seward, the secretary of state, exhibited an interest in Alaska after the Civil War, and by March 30, 1867, the Johnson government had acquired Alaska for $7.2 million in gold. Political analysts mockingly referred to the property as 鈥淲alrussia鈥� and 鈥淛ohnson鈥檚 polar bear garden鈥� in editorials since they didn鈥檛 think it was worthwhile.

8. Andrew Johnson was Driven from a Few Towns

In 1866, Johnson embarked on a lecture tour that took him from Washington to Pittsburgh as he hammered home his limited perspective on reconstruction. After halfway through the 18 days, Johnson was booed by Cleveland, Ohio people, which put an end to the event. Johnson鈥檚 train was met with a chorus of jeers in Bloomington, and the crowd was clamoring for Ulysses S. Grant to appear instead.

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9. The first American President to be Impeached was Andrew Johnson

Johnson was facing harsh criticism for his Southern views on reconstruction and persons who had formerly been slaves less than three years into his administration. The Republicans in control of the Senate were outraged when southern states started passing 鈥淏lack Codes鈥� that restricted the rights of Black Americans. Johnson also removed Radical Republican friend and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867. The act was meant to restrict the president鈥檚 authority to terminate officials without Senate permission. On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives voted 126 to 47 to impeach Johnson, viewing it as a willful act of disobedience. Johnson was on trial before the Senate for 11 weeks, smartly reversing most of the statements that had angered his political rivals. He was permitted to serve out the remainder of his term after votes were cast on May 16 and May 26.

10. America鈥檚 17th President is Buried with His Head Resting on His Copy of the Constitution

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Johnson remarked that he wouldn鈥檛 require 鈥渁 softer pillow than the Constitution or a warmer blanket than the American flag鈥� once he was gone. As a result, the 17th president of the United States is interred with his body draped in the American flag and his head resting on a copy of the Constitution.

You ought to go to Greeneville鈥檚 Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. A visitor鈥檚 center, Johnson鈥檚 tailor shop, and the two houses where he spent most of his life are among the various features of the site. The fact that the area around the houses hasn鈥檛 altered much in appearance since Johnson resided here is one of the aspects that makes the place special. This is in contrast to most presidential homes.

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