In Andrew Johnson’s Shoes
Imagine that you are Andrew Johnson. President Lincoln has just been assassinated and you must quickly learn to fill and
shoes and take the reins on the Reconstruction policy. This is unchartered territory for the nation so you know it will be a
difficult task. Below, you will be given the scenarios that Andrew Johnson actually had to face. With your group, decide
what you think Andrew Johnson will do based on his background. Give your rationale for picking the option.
Andrew Johnson’s Background
Like Lincoln, Johnson was born poor with nearly illiterate parents. He did not learn to read or write till the age of
17. Johnson was from the South and was born in North Carolina. He began as a tailor but quickly moved up in
politics serving as mayor of Greenville, then a state legislator, then a representative, and finally as the governor of
Tennessee. However closely he identified with his fellow Southerners' views on slavery, Johnson disagreed strongly
with their calls to break up the Union over the issue. When Tennessee left the Union after the election of Abraham
Lincoln, Johnson broke with his home state, becoming the only Southern senator to retain his seat in the U.S.
Senate. In the South, Johnson was deemed a traitor; his property was confiscated and his wife and two daughters
were driven from the state. In the North, however, Johnson's stand made him an overnight hero. Though Johnson
was deeply committed to saving the Union, he did not believe in the emancipation of slaves. By the summer of
1863, however, he began to favor emancipation as a war measure. Concerned about his chances for reelection,
Lincoln felt that he needed a man like Johnson as his vice president to help balance the ticket in 1864 and get the
support of the Democrats. Together, the two won a sweeping victory against Democratic candidate General George
B. McClellan and his running mate, George Pendleton.
Scenario One: Creating a Reconstruction Plan
Since the Constitution did not state who should be in charge of reconstruction, Andrew Johnson and the Republican
members of Congress agreed that they would work together to solve the many problems facing the nation after the Civil
War. Congress ended their session and left Washington in the summer of 1865. What will Johnson do?
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will wait till Congress returns and work
with them to create a Reconstruction plan.
Johnson will create the Reconstruction plan and
put it into effect without asking Congress.
Rationale:
Rationale:
What Johnson Actually Did:
Scenario Two: How to Reconstruct the Society
Since Johnson decided to take matters into his own hands, he had to figure out a plan for Reconstruction. Johnson knew
that many people in Congress supported the Wade-Davis Bill (The 50% Plan) but he also knew that Lincoln had wanted
to reunify the North and the South as quickly as possible. What will Johnson’s reconstruction plan be like?
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will make a reconstruction plan based on
what he felt Lincoln would have wanted and
what he himself wanted- a lenient plan
Johnson will create a reconstruction plan based
on what he knows Congress wants- a strict plan
Rationale:
Rationale:
What Johnson Actually Did:
Scenario Three: Congress Takes Action
When Congress came back into session, Republicans moved to stop the President. Congress threw out the state
governments set up by Johnson. In 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, defining all persons born in the U.S. as
citizens. Congress also passed the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the federal government to
protect the rights of all citizens, and in 1867, established a military Reconstruction program to enforce political and social
rights for Southern blacks.
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will try to veto the acts he does not
approve of and go on a speaking tour campaign
to get the support of the people.
Johnson will quietly accept the changes made by
Congress and continue to pursue his own
policies.
Rationale:
Rationale:
What Johnson Actually Did:
Scenario Four: The Tenure of Office Act
In a final blow to the president’s dignity, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stripped the President of the
power to remove federal officials without the Senate's approval. This act was created so that Johnson could not fire
federal officials who supported “Radical Reconstruction.”
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will challenge the Tenure of Office Act
by firing a federal official without Senate
approval.
Johnson will get the Supreme Court to declare
the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional.
Rationale:
Rationale:
What Johnson Actually Did:
Analysis Questions:
1. Based on what you’ve learned, why do you think Reconstruction was called the “Second Civil War?”
2. Who was trying to help African Americans and who was trying to stop them from gaining rights?