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Andrew Johnson And Slavery
Andrew Johnson, who became the 17th U.S. president following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, was one of the last U.S. Presidents to personally own slaves. Johnson also oversaw the first years of the Reconstruction era as the head of the executive branch of the U.S. government. This professional obligation clashed with Johnson's long-held personal resentments: "Johnson's attitudes showed much consistency. All of his life he held deep-seated Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonian convictions along with prejudices against blacks, sectionalists, and the wealthy." Johnson's engagement with Southern Unionist, Southern Unionism and Abraham Lincoln is summarized by his statement, "Damn the negroes; I am fighting these traitorous aristocrats, Planter class, their masters!" According to Reconstruction historian Manisha Sinha, Johnson is remembered today for making white supremacy the overriding principle of his presidency through "his obdurate opposition to Reconstruction, the project to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Johnson (Tennessee)
Sam Johnson (after 1901) was a laborer and carpenter who was enslaved by Andrew Johnson from 1842 until 1863. Sam Johnson was also a musician ("He played a violin he made himself that could be heard for a mile around...") and built his own home. In 1928, Andrew Johnson biographer Robert W. Winston described Sam as "Johnson's favorite slave." Biography Andrew Johnson paid a man named Elim Carter for Sam in 1842. Two months later he paid $500 for Sam's older half-sister Dolly Johnson, Dolly. Both were enslaved by Johnson until 1863, when he emancipated them amid the American Civil War. In the 1840s, Andrew Johnson regularly hired out Sam around town for jobs including "plastering a house, pulling corn, cutting oats with scythe and cradle, and doing janitorial work by 'attending the Court House.'" The income from this work was typically paid to Andrew Johnson. In January 1860, Charles Johnson (Tennessee), Charles Johnson wrote Andrew Johnson telling him he ought to sell Sam becaus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
