Andrew Johnson

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See how Andrew Johnson fought with Congress over Reconstruction and became the first president to be impeached

key events in the life of Andrew Johnson

Greeneville: Pres. Andrew Johnson's home

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"The Fifteenth Amendment. Celebrated May 19th, 1870" color lithograph created by Thomas Kelly, 1870. (Reconstruction) At center, a depiction of a parade in celebration of the passing of the 15th Amendment. Framing it are portraits and vignettes...

Reconstruction Era Quiz

Andrew Johnson summary

Andrew Johnson

Q: When did Andrew Johnson become president of the United States?

Andrew Johnson became the 17th president of the United States in 1865. He took office after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln .

Q: Why did Andrew Johnson veto the Reconstruction Acts?

Andrew Johnson vetoed the Reconstruction Acts that provided suffrage for male freedmen and military administration of the Southern states. He maintained that the Reconstruction Acts were unconstitutional because they were passed without Southern representation in Congress. Congress overode his vetoes.

Q: Why was Andrew Johnson impeached?

Andrew Johnson dismissed from office Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to provide a court test of the Tenure of Office Act’s constitutionality. For this and other reasons, the House of Representatives voted articles of impeachment against the president—the first such occurrence in U.S. history.

Q: Who was Andrew Johnson's wife?

Eliza McCardle was Andrew Johnson's wife. They married in 1827.

president of United States

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Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 • Article History

Andrew Johnson

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Category: History & Society

Born:: December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.

Died:: July 31, 1875, near Carter Station, Tennessee (aged 66)

Title / Office:: United States Senate (1875-1875), United States; presidency of the United States of America (1865-1869), United States; vice president of the United States of America (1865-1865), United States; United States Senate (1857-1862), United States; governor (1853-1857), Tennessee

Political Affiliation:: Democratic Party

Notable Family Members:: spouse Eliza Johnson

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When did Andrew Johnson become president of the United States?

Why did Andrew Johnson veto the Reconstruction Acts?

Why was Andrew Johnson impeached?

Who was Andrew Johnson's wife?

Andrew Johnson (born December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.—died July 31, 1875, near Carter Station, Tennessee) was the 17th president of the United States (1865–69), who took office upon the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln during the closing months of the American Civil War (1861–65). His lenient Reconstruction policies toward the South embittered the Radical Republicans in Congress and led to his political downfall and to his impeachment, though he was acquitted. Johnson was the younger of two sons of Jacob and Mary McDonough Johnson. Jacob Johnson, who served as a porter in a local inn, as a sexton ...(100 of 1875 words)

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