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In a gesture of national unity in 1864, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) chose Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), a Southern Democrat and defender of the Union, as his vice-presidential running mate. Yet when Johnson succeeded to the presidency after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, it soon became evident that his lenient view on readmitting the former rebellious states back into the Union conflicted with that of the Republican majority in Congress. The crux of the dispute centered on Johnson's policy for allowing Southern states to deprive freed slaves of their basic civil rights. The resultant clash led to his impeachment, from which he survived convention by one vote.
This alcove highlights Johnson's presidency as depicted by artists of his day, with special forces given to the renowned political satirist of this era, Thomas Nast (1840-1902). |