Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson rose from humble beginnings in the South to serve as Lincoln's second vice president, thus becoming President just as the Civil War was ending. He showed none of his predecessor's political finesse and is often viewed as among the worst to hold the office. In this short and brilliantly written book, award-winning author Gordon-Reed (law & history, Harvard Univ.; The Hemingses of Monticello) argues that the nation went from the best President to the worst during this most crucial period of its history. This slim study does cover Johnson from birth to death (1808–75), but the focus is assuredly on his presidency. Gordon-Reed does not seek to improve Johnson's reputation but to analyze it. She argues that his racism and deep insecurity were central to his failure to work with Congress to craft a workable Reconstruction at war's end.