Andrew Johnson vs. Donald J. Trump

We now know that Trump and Andrew Johnson have something in common: both were sitting presidents and both were impeached, and both were found not guilty. What else can be said about the two men who were president of these United States? Donald Trump was elected despite losing the popular vote to Hilary Clinton. He won in the electoral college vote. President Johnson was never elected president. He succeeded the assassinated Abraham Lincoln within a month of the end of the Civil War. Lincoln was the standard bearer of the fledgling Republican Party which had been formed only about 5 years before the election of 1860, won by Lincoln over the Southern Democratic candidate, John C. Breckenridge. Lincoln had selected Johnson because he was a Southerner and Lincoln needed some support from the south to ensure a chance to succeed. Johnson was at the time an attractive choice for Vice President. He was well known, he could speak on many subjects, and did not display any sympathy for the rising rebellion and its backers. As a result of the assassination of Lincoln, Johnson served almost a full 4 year term in the role of president. There was no vice president during his term. The line of succession went to Congress. The main issue of Johnson's administration was Reconstruction. Lincoln left an incomplete plan for Reconstruction. Very little had been drafted formally. Lincoln had addressed the issues among staff, including general U.S. Grant. Lieutenant General of the Army. Grant was a firm believer and strong supporter of Lincoln's policies. Grant was known as a lenient general when it came to terms of surrender: he did not want to humiliate the Southern soldier who had to return to a devastated countryside, wrecked cities, and industrial capacity reduced almost to zero. On the other hand, Johnson shed his disguise as a supporter of Lincoln's policies and it became obvious in a short time that he supported the Southern plantation class as it tried to recover from the effects of war and emancipation. Without going into the various details of the reconstreuction effort by the administration of Johnson, it did not take long before things in the south began to turn ugly: murder and mayhem hounded freedmen wherever they tried to exert their new rights as citizens enjoying equal rights for the first time of their lives. The South was carved into military districts controlled by a Union general appointed by Grant. Soon, pleas for more help came rolling into Washington, and Johnson did little to assist the Army in maintaining order. Trump in his way, began his tenure stirring up supporters by saying his win was subject to disorder among the electorate and the vote count. He claimed he had won by a wider ,argin than the record indicated. He thus, questioned the same results that elected him. This revealed his attitude toward states, especilly those governed by Democrats. For the next 4 years, the American citizenry has witnessed the most bizarre behavior that ever eminated from the White House. No matter the subject, Trump did his best to put his own spin on his "facts" that were generally, bald faced lies that came from no one knows where. Trump was impeached the first time in 2019, and the 2nd time in 2020, after he lost his bid for reelection to Joe Biden. He stirred a crowd of followers in a demonstration near the Capitol to visit that august building to 'correct' the vote that removed him from office. Trump was found not guilty by the Senate in a decision rendered after he left the White House on January 20, 2021. He landed in Florida at Mar-a Lago hotel to wait results. Andrew Johnson was also found not guilty aon a variety of charges related to his alleged violation of the Act of Office Tenure after he attempted to appoint his own man as Secretary of War. His record is worth examining given his very partisan support for the South as he remembered it after Lincoln's death. He appeared as if the South had hand chosen a successor who would guarantee the return of the "Old South" and the condition of slavery. Reconstruction would continue for almost 12 years before being abandoned after Grant left office. We live with the results of that period today.