Andrew Johnson (The American Presidents Series) by Annette Gordon-Reed
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Andrew Johnson (The American Presidents Series) by Annette Gordon-Reed
Andrew Johnson never expected to be president. A southern Democrat who remained loyal to the Union, this former governor of Tennessee and U.S. senator had been chosen as Abraham Lincoln's running mate in 1864, in a gesture toward national unity in the midst of the Civil War. But just six weeks after he was sworn in as vice-president, the events at Ford's Theatre thrust Johnson into the nation's highest office.
Johnson faced two nearly impossible tasks: to succeed America's greatest chief executive and to bind the nation's wounds after the Civil War. Most fatefully for his presidency, Johnson's loyalty to the social structure and mores of his native region led him to vigorously oppose all measures to provide basic civil rights to the newly freed black people of the South.
Annette Gordon-Reed, one of America's leading historians of slavery, shows how ill-suited Johnson was to the daunting task of rebuilding the United States. His vision of reconciliation without holding southern whites to any standard of behavior abandoned the millions of former slaves (for whom he felt undisguised contempt) and antagonized congressional leaders, who tried to limit his powers and eventually impeached him.
The climax of Johnson's presidency was his trial in the Senate and his acquittal by a single vote, a proceeding that brought to a head Johnson's resentments toward his political rivals, and their toward him -- further inflaming the nation's unhealed wounds. Gordon-Reed shows that Johnson's term in office was a crucial missed opportunity for the country; he failed to provide the leadership that was needed at a pivotal moment, leaving America with problems that we are still trying to solve.
Times Books, Hardcover, 2011
This is a BRAND NEW book. There is a black "closeout/remainder" mark on the top page edges.
Andrew Johnson never expected to be president. A southern Democrat who remained loyal to the Union, this former governor of Tennessee and U.S. senator had been chosen as Abraham Lincoln's running mate in 1864, in a gesture toward national unity in the midst of the Civil War. But just six weeks after he was sworn in as vice-president, the events at Ford's Theatre thrust Johnson into the nation's highest office.
Johnson faced two nearly impossible tasks: to succeed America's greatest chief executive and to bind the nation's wounds after the Civil War. Most fatefully for his presidency, Johnson's loyalty to the social structure and mores of his native region led him to vigorously oppose all measures to provide basic civil rights to the newly freed black people of the South.
Annette Gordon-Reed, one of America's leading historians of slavery, shows how ill-suited Johnson was to the daunting task of rebuilding the United States. His vision of reconciliation without holding southern whites to any standard of behavior abandoned the millions of former slaves (for whom he felt undisguised contempt) and antagonized congressional leaders, who tried to limit his powers and eventually impeached him.
The climax of Johnson's presidency was his trial in the Senate and his acquittal by a single vote, a proceeding that brought to a head Johnson's resentments toward his political rivals, and their toward him -- further inflaming the nation's unhealed wounds. Gordon-Reed shows that Johnson's term in office was a crucial missed opportunity for the country; he failed to provide the leadership that was needed at a pivotal moment, leaving America with problems that we are still trying to solve.
Times Books, Hardcover, 2011
This is a BRAND NEW book. There is a black "closeout/remainder" mark on the top page edges.
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