A Monument to Failure … And Fine Tailoring!
What can one say about a site dedicated to the memory of one of the worst Presidents in U.S. history? Not much, really.
Andrew Johnson was, indeed, one of the worst Presidents ever. Talk about wrong place/wrong time! Why, oh why, did Lincoln have a lout like Johnson as Veep in 1865? Well, politics, of course. Just like today, the vice presidential candidate is primarily chosen to gain the votes of a certain constituency. As military governor of Tennessee, it was hoped that Johnson’s nomination as Vice President would bring more War Democrats into the Republican Party. Of course, it did, and, of course, we were stuck with that choice after Honest Abe was shot in the head.
Johnson would later go on to near-total failure as President. He started Reconstruction on horrible footing, famously vetoing the Freedman’s Bureau: “This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men.” He also blocked initial passage of the 14th Amendment (which includes the extremely important Due Process and Equal Protection Under the Law clauses). Real enlightened there, Andy…
Johnson would later be impeached, but acquitted, just like another, more recent President. Let’s let that sink in for a moment: here we are, America, over 230 years old, and we’ve had back-to-back Presidents that can be mentioned in the same breath as poor, miserable, drunken, uneducated Andrew Johnson: one for impeachment, and the other for incompetence.
He wasn’t a total failure. He did pressure the French to get out of Mexico. I’d rather have taco stands than escargot wagons on the street corners of San Diego any day. His Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, negotiated the deal for Alaska, which is a wonderful place. Of course, Seward was appointed by Lincoln, so even then, Johnson was effectively useless, but hey, gotta give our Presidents props wherever we can, no?
I guess it goes to show that anyone, no matter how incompetent, can get a few things right after all. According to legend, he was a damn fine tailor in his younger days! I’m sure, in 50 or 100 years from now, there will be a site in central Texas dedicated to the damned fine brush-clearing skills of another lackluster American president.
Good People, Though
I do want to state, however, that I think Greeneville itself is a real nice place. I liked walking around the town as I visited Johnson’s home. It’s clean, and quiet, with a couple of good diners and a pleasant, small town atmosphere. It’s also really proud of its heritage. I met two nice ladies who were so proud of East Tennessee’s history, they begged me to take the town’s official history tour that afternoon. But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I had to head back to my motel near the Smokies before that great tourist trap known as Gatlinburg got too ridiculous.
I still have a fondness for tiny little Greenville, Tennessee.
Sadly, I didn’t own my digital camera when I toured Andrew Johnson NHS, so no pictures. Sorry.
Links:
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
America In Context 
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