Andrew Johnson, who became president after the assassination of
Lincoln, oversaw the most crucial and dramatic phase of
Reconstruction. Historians have therefore tended to concentrate, to
the exclusion of practically everything else, upon Johnson's key
role in that titanic event. Although his volume focuses closely on
Johnson's handling of Reconstruction, it also examines other
important aspects of his administration, notably his foreign,
economic, and Indian policies. As one of the few historians to do
this, the author provides a broader and more balanced picture of
Johnson's presidency than has been previously available.
Johnson has always been an enigma: much is known about what he
did, little about why he did it. He wrote few letters, kept no
diary, and rarely confided in anyone. Most historians either admire
or despise him, depending on whether they consider his
Reconstruction policies right or wrong. Castel achieves an
objective reassessment of Johnson and his presidential actions by
examining him primarily in terms of his effectiveness in using
power and by not judging him--as most other scholars have--on
moralistic or ideological grounds.
The book begins with an overview of America at the end of the
Civil War and a description of Johnson's political career prior to
1865. Castel recounts the drama of Johnson's sudden inheritance of
the presidency upon Lincoln's death and then examines how Johnson
organized and operated his administration. Johnson's formulation of
a Reconstruction policy for the defeated South comes under special
scrutiny; Castel evaluates Johnson's motives for that policy, its
implementation, and its reception in both North and South. He
descries and analyzes Johnson's quarrel with the
Republican-dominated Congress over Reconstruction, the triumph of
the Republicans in the election of 1866, the president's frustrated
attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from office,
his bitter dispute with General Ulysses S. Grant, and his
impeachment by Congress. Johnson's impeachment trial is covered in
detail; Castel explains how it was that Johnson escaped conviction
and removal from office by the narrowest possible margin. The book
concludes with a discussion of Johnson's place in history as judged
by scholars during the past one hundred years.
This study sheds light on the nation's problems during the
chaotic period between 1865 and 1869 and contributes a great deal
to a much improved understanding of the seventeenth president.
General
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