4 ms·

Well he was a copperhead[1] which didn't make him popular with a lot of folks in the north. And the CSA was almost defeated. The USA had been waging total war.

Well he was a copperhead[1] which didn't make him popular with a lot of folks in the north. And the CSA was almost defeated. The USA had been waging total war. Sherman had already marched to the ocean. Lee's army was small, damaged, and shedding deserters. So Johnson would likely be the VP who defeated the CSA, which meant the enmity of everyone else, north or south. But if he didn't do the job, maybe someone who'd be harsher on the confederacy might end up with it, so he couldn't step down. I'm not saying I particularly like Andrew Johnson but I think he had damned good reasons to self-medicate. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhead_(politics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhead_(politics)

mistrial9 3y ago
[flagged]
- woooooo 3y ago
  Johnson, not Jackson, different Andrew with different reasons to dislike.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  [flagged]
- acheron 3y ago
  While we’re bringing up random people that the article isn’t about, what’s your opinion on King Valdemar IV Atterdag of Denmark?
  - woooooo 3y ago
    Andrew Jackson was more prominent, sounds similar, and probably gave a drunk address at some point. It's an understandable mistake.
    - tekla 3y ago
      If you don't read the post.
woodruffw 3y ago
Johnson is generally considered a "War Democrat,"[1] not a copperhead (i.e. "Peace Democrat"). That's why he was selected for the ticket: Lincoln knew he had no chance of winning the copperhead vote, be he could win the War Democrat vote with Johnson next to him. I agree that he had plenty of good reasons to drink, however :-) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Andrew_Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Andrew_Johnson