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Andrew Johnson's Presidency

Decent Essays

Andrew Johnson was the seventeenth president of the United States. He was born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father, Jacob Johnson, worked as a handyman in a tavern (World Book Student 2). Andrews mother, Mary McDonough Johnson, was a maid in the tavern (World Book Student 2). Johnson was the youngest of their two sons. When Andrew was three years old, his brother Jacob passed away. Too poor to attend school, Andrews mother apprenticed him to a tailor when he was thirteen years old (World Book Student 2). He probably learned to read from the shops foreperson. He did not attend college. By reading books and newspapers, he became well informed with the constitution, American history, and politics. On May 17, 1827, Johnson …show more content…

Johnson became governor of Tennessee in 1853. As the presidential election of 1856 drew near, he contemplated running but felt like he didn’t have what it took. He chose to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate instead (Biography 2). Abraham Lincoln chose Johnson to be military governor and then he became Lincoln's vice president in 1864. President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth and died the next morning. Johnson was also a target on that fateful night, but his would-be assassin failed to show up (Biography 3). Three hours after Lincoln died, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the seventeenth president of the United States (Biography 3). Andrew Johnson served one term in office. The secretary of State during Johnson's presidency was William Seward from 1865-1869. Hugh McCulloch was Secretary of the Treasury from 1865-1869 (POTUS). There were two secretaries of war, Edwin Stanton and John Schofield. The Attorney Generals were James Speed, Henry Stanbery, and William Evarts. William Dennison and Alexander Randall were the two Postmaster Generals (POTUS). Gideon Wells was a part of the cabinet as the Secretary of the Navy. The three Secretaries of the Interior were John Usher, James Harlan, and Orville Browning (POTUS). An important national event that occurred during Johnson's

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