Andrew Johnson Administration - Introduction

Introduction

A tailor by trade, Andrew Johnson entered politics on behalf of the laboring people of eastern Tennessee. Throughout his political career Johnson identified with and advocated for the interests of the working class. His passion for political debate aided his rise from obscurity to the U.S. Senate. Because of his loyalty to the Union during the American Civil War (1861–65) Abraham Lincoln tapped Johnson to become his vice president in March 1865, and upon Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865, Johnson assumed the presidency. The battles between Johnson and Congress over the fate of the former Confederacy led to an unprecedented attempt to remove President Johnson from office.