Worst Presidents: Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

Reader Comments
Back to article

Maybe you should have spent more time paying attention in history class and less time doodling yourself shooting minorities. Lincoln tried to avoid the war at all cost, it was the south that made the war on the north, have you ever head of the saying "A house divided against itself cannot stand" you should Google that.

abe of CA 1:02PM August 19, 2010

no it doesn't you gotta stop watching fox news, slavery has been a big part of this country even after it "ended". It took decades for the reconstruction era to finally end with the civil rights movement, it is not whether they are black and stuff is revolving around them, it is about the Anglo community (since you dislike the term white, i respect that, it's call tolerance you should try it) realizing that little by little they have to share another part of society and politics with a more diverse group of people. So they piss and moan and would make up any excuse to avoid this from happening, it is a patter seen after slavery was abolish, when Irish and other immigrant groups gained the right to vote, the woman's right movement, and we are seen it now with immigration and rights for gays.

abe of CA 12:59PM August 19, 2010

The whole nation and everything in our past, present and future now seems to revolve around what can be done for blacks. That's all I'm going to say. Of course, even the term "black" is now virulently racist, we have to say "African American," when all my background warrants is "white." They control Hollywood and the government. What's left?

Alexander Moir of NY 5:30PM July 14, 2010

Modern historians give more credit to the Radical Republicans for altruism than I do. Many if not most of them only wanted citizenship and voting rights for the ex-slaves because it would guarantee reelection for themselves. After all, they didn't demonstrate similar concern for women or Native Americans. Moreover, for all his faults, Johnson did NOT deserve impeachment!

Ted Snyder of NY 10:01PM February 14, 2010

O and Rick of GA?
Lincoln was amazing, your a blind fool.

Mark Stone of AL 9:15PM January 10, 2010

Johnson was a drunken fool too. March 4, 1865, the day of his inauguration as vice president he was having a hard time with a disease, he drank “medical” whiskey and got trashed before the inauguration. So when he got up on stage he rambled and bumbled on slurring his words and looking like a total idiot, the officials actually had to interrupt him and give him the oath to say, which took a while because he couldn't reciprocate what the lines were that he was supposed to say, and people could barley understand him anyways. Finally a supreme court Justice led him away. Also he vetoed the civil rights bill, which would help secure freedom for all, veto the freedman's bureau (which would help blacks come back into regular american society from being a slave), helped institute black codes, and strongly opposed the 14th amendment.

Mark Stone of AL 9:13PM January 10, 2010

My vote on the worse president ever goes to Lincoln as he was the only president to make war on fellow americans. He succedded in killing more americans than all of our other wars combined.

Rick of GA 7:50AM December 22, 2009

Again with the Political Correctness!!! Look, President Lincoln proffered deal after deal to save the union, INCLUDING A REMARKABLE JAN 1865 meeting with what was left of the dying Confederacy leadership to NOT FREE A SINGLE SLAVE if the South returned to the union. Lincoln is quoted as saying "I WILL NOT FREE A SINGLE SLAVE IF I COULD SAVE THE UNION". Yet everyone fawns over LINCOLN, a nut case who was hospitalized in a mental institution in 1832-33 and the closest America came to a tyrrant in American History [Wasn't Lincoln the President who ordered the Supreme Court shut down and its Cheif Justice ARRESTED for treason because he won't rule the way he wanted?).
The best thing that happened to Lincoln's legacy was that he got shot BEFORE Reconstruction occurred. There is no evidence that Lincoln would have championed Civil Rights for Blacks upon the conclusion of the Civil War but plenty of evidence that he would have compromised with the defeated white southerners at the expense of blacks---remember that!!!
Andy had the misfortune of cleaning up the mess of the Civil War. Reconstruction was bad for the South and it was bad for the nation to station Federal Troops there to impose martial law against the Southern's will. The 'experiments' of installing black senators in the South was not mirrored in the North and was thus rightfully viewed as unjust by conqoured. Finally, when did the South return to normalicy? With President Harrison (my choice for the list) BOUGHT THE PRESIDENTCY by agreeing to end Reconstruction in the Election of 1876, the dirtiest election in the history of the United States, the South started its recovery. OK, so we had to wait until 1964 to pass the civil rights act by the SECOND President Johnson---it takes about 100 years to heal old wounds. Don't believe that, ask the Iraqis'.
Finally, Andy had the right to fire Secretary of War Stanton as President Bush had the right to fire Secretary of Defense Rumsfield---they serve at the PLEASURE of the chief executive. The senate had no right to impeach President Johnson and we have had Presidents whose actions screamed for impeachment. President Johnson was given a bad rap in your poll.

CPTG of CA 4:06PM December 21, 2009

Also, regarding Johnson turning "a blind eye to those southerners who tried to undo what the Civil War had accomplished": this implies that the goal of the war was to free the slaves, and then to give them equal rights.
But for Lincoln and many in the North the war was overwhelmingly about preserving the Union which was achieved completely and without qualification and Johnson had worked to make this a reality. Most likely his "soft" stance after the war (on civil rights) also further contributed to preserving the Union as it was in a delicate state and had cost so much to regain. Freeing the slaves, except for the abolitionists, was a secondary goal, which thank God was also achieved as well.

John of MN 9:23PM November 04, 2009

I agree with Thomas (TN), 1865-1869 Was probably one of the very most difficult terms to be president. The divide between extreme "southerners" and extreme "northerners" was vast. Remember they are referred to as Radical republicans -- not radical according to our views today but at the time they were the extreeeme group -- on the civil rights side.
Because of this I think Johnson was an average President instead of one of the very worst. Remember, he was the Only Southern Senator to stick with the Union during the war which was one of the main reasons Lincoln chose him to be his running mate. Actually, considering this last fact I would rate him significantly above average since that must have taken an incredible amount of courage or possibly just rebelliousness (rebellious against the rebels) in order to do that.
He was more against the "aristocracy" of the southern slave holders than he was for freeing the slaves. He saw himself as fighting for the "average Joe" of the South, and North.
In fact, regarding sticking with the Union, when all the other Southern Senators had abandoned it, in explaining his decision he said he didn't care about the slaves, but that he did care most of all about maintaining the Union. His political work during and after the war (Senator, Vice President and then his "horrible" Presidency) only demonstrates the consistency of his actions with his prior statements -- which if you consider most Presidents is a pretty rare quality -- giving him several more points.

John of MN 9:06PM November 04, 2009