Steven BarryProfessor PhilpotGov 370k12 April 2018Andrew Johnson: The Anti-Reconstruction PresidentAndrew Johnson served as president of the United States during the Reconstruction Era after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson was Southern and a former slave owner. Although he remained in the Union during the Civil War, his real loyalty was to the South. During his presidency, Johnson passed policies that helped former rebels and attempted to override policies that helped former slaves transition from bondage to citizenship. Johnson’s reluctance to support African American interests, and his willingness to help former Confederates made him the worst president in history for advancing the African American agenda.Growing up in the South,
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Not surprisingly, zero of the states contemplated “extending the right to vote” to former slaves (Constitutional Rights Foundation). This empowered Southern states to pass the Black Codes, which restricted the freedom of African Americans. Former slaves were not allowed to “serve on juries, travel freely, or work in occupations of their choice” (Constitutional Rights Foundation). These codes conflicted with the African American agenda because these harsh and discriminatory laws put limits on African Americans’ rights and prevented them from gaining true freedom. Another example of Johnson’s true loyalty to the Confederates was when he vetoed Republican legislation that “refuse[d] [to] seat any Senator or Representative from the old Confederacy,” (The White House). Luckily, the African American agenda won when Congress “mustered enough votes” to the African American agenda because these former Confederates would not abolish racial politics. Another piece of legislation that Johnson tried to veto was the Civil Rights Act of 1866, “which established Negroes as American citizens and forbade discrimination against them” …show more content…
Another part of the bill that Johnson objected to was the prohibition of discrimination. He claimed that it was “expedient” to Johnson also tried to veto the Freedmen’s Bureau Acts of 1865 and 1866, which “establish[ed] a Bureau for the relief of Freedmen and Refugees” (US Senate). One of the reasons Johnson tried to veto this bill is because a bill like this “had not been done for struggling whites” (NPS). However, this argument is illogical because Johnson failed to mention one critical component about “struggling whites,” which is that they were not former slaves who had been and slavery. Luckily, Congress overrode his Johnson also opposed the “40 Acres and a Mule” policy in which land was to be “reserved and set apart for the settlement of” newly freed than the return of land to the same people that rebelled against the Union. Johnson conflicted with the African American agenda by revoking the 40 Acres and a Mule policy because it killed the hopes of African Americans obtaining the land they deserved. Andrew Johnson prevented African Americans from gaining true freedom by opposing legislation that benefited former
Not surprisingly, zero of the states contemplated “extending the right to vote” to former slaves (Constitutional Rights Foundation). This empowered Southern states to pass the Black Codes, which restricted the freedom of African Americans. Former slaves were not allowed to “serve on juries, travel freely, or work in occupations of their choice” (Constitutional Rights Foundation). These codes conflicted with the African American agenda because these harsh and discriminatory laws put limits on African Americans’ rights and prevented them from gaining true freedom. Another example of Johnson’s true loyalty to the Confederates was when he vetoed Republican legislation that “refuse[d] [to] seat any Senator or Representative from the old Confederacy,” (The White House). Luckily, the African American agenda won when Congress “mustered enough votes” to the African American agenda because these former Confederates would not abolish racial politics. Another piece of legislation that Johnson tried to veto was the Civil Rights Act of 1866, “which established Negroes as American citizens and forbade discrimination against them” …show more content…
Another part of the bill that Johnson objected to was the prohibition of discrimination. He claimed that it was “expedient” to Johnson also tried to veto the Freedmen’s Bureau Acts of 1865 and 1866, which “establish[ed] a Bureau for the relief of Freedmen and Refugees” (US Senate). One of the reasons Johnson tried to veto this bill is because a bill like this “had not been done for struggling whites” (NPS). However, this argument is illogical because Johnson failed to mention one critical component about “struggling whites,” which is that they were not former slaves who had been and slavery. Luckily, Congress overrode his Johnson also opposed the “40 Acres and a Mule” policy in which land was to be “reserved and set apart for the settlement of” newly freed than the return of land to the same people that rebelled against the Union. Johnson conflicted with the African American agenda by revoking the 40 Acres and a Mule policy because it killed the hopes of African Americans obtaining the land they deserved. Andrew Johnson prevented African Americans from gaining true freedom by opposing legislation that benefited former