Andrew Johnson was born in the kitchen loft of a log cabin on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina to almost illiterate parents.  Jacob Johnson, his father, barely made a living working as a hotel porter and bank janitor. When Andrew was three-years-old, his father died tragically trying to save two of his wealthy employers from drowning. His mother, now widowed, worked as a weaver and a spinner to feed Andrew and his older brother William. When Andrew was still a youngster, his mother married Turner Daugherty, but this addition to the family did not improve the family finances. 

At the age of 14, Andrew and his brother were apprenticed to a local tailor where they worked for several years before running away.  Being on the run for two years, with a reward on their heads, Andrew returned to Raleigh in 1826 where he reunited with his mother and stepfather before moving west in a one-horse cart to Greenville, Tennessee. Here he opened a tailor shop, and married Eliza McCardle.  Andrew soon gained respect and popularity in the community, leading to elected offices, including the governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator. 

Andrew's birthplace in Raleigh is located at the Mordecai Historical Park.  At the time of his birth, this small dwelling served as a kitchen and residence behind Casso's Inn.  This building, built in the late 1700s, was part of a complex of buildings at Casso's, a well-known hotel of the period.  This inn is where Andrew's stepfather worked as a stable keeper, and his mother as a weaver. Tradition tells us that Andrew was born in the loft of the kitchen at the Inn.  On December 29, 1808, the tradition continues, that a wedding party was being held at the tavern when it was interrupted by the news of the birth of baby.  It is said that the bride went to the cabin area at the back of the Inn to visit with the newborn Andrew and his mother. 

In Greenville, Tennessee there is a replica of Johnson's birthplace, that represents an important part of Johnson's story, in that it speaks of a man who began his life in poverty, who later became the seventeenth President of the United States. 

Early in his political career in Greenville, Johnson became a skilled speaker, supporting the common man and maligning the plantation society.  When serving as a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 1840s and 1850s, he advocated a homestead bill to provide a free farm for every poor man.  

When the secession crisis hit, Johnson remained in the Senate even though Tennessee seceded, making him a hero in the North, and a traitor in the eyes of the South.   In 1862, President Lincoln appointed him Military Governor of Tennessee. In 1864, the Republicans, nominated Johnson, a Southerner and a Democrat, for Vice President. 

Johnson's Early Home in Greenville 

During the 1830s, Johnson and his family moved to his residence, where they stayed until 1851. It was during these years that his life changed drastically, moving from the tailor trade to politics. Johnson rose quickly, beginning as an elected alderman in Greenville, to its mayor.  From here he became state representative, state senator, and U.S. representative.  In 1853 he was elected governor of Tennessee and was sent to the United States Senate in 1857.

The Johnson Homestead in Greenville

Andrew's Bedroom

Wife's Bedroom

Dining Room

The house was built directly on the street in Northern Irish fashion, consisting of a two-story front and a one-story ell (the wings of the building at right angles to the main structure). In 1868 to 1869, the second story was added to the ell, in preparation of the retiring President's return to Greenville. While the house has characteristics of the Fashionable Greek revival period, it also reflects the older Federal style architecture, which was popular in the 1840s.  The facade of the "Homestead" shows a strict symmetry of traditional Federal design, and the simple window frames are adorned with louvered shutters.  Framed by pilasters, which support a flat entablature, the Greek revival doorway is bordered by small sidelights. Other Greek characteristics include the brick cornice, with dentils, and the transom. 

The house was restored in 1956 and today, the Homestead appears as it did during the last years of Andrew Johnson's life.

The Presidency

One of Johnson's first orders of business was to reconstruct the former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865.  He pardoned all those who were willing to take the oath of allegiance, but required the leaders and those men of wealth to obtain special Presidential pardons. When Congress met in December 1865, most of the southern states were reconstructed, slavery was being abolished, however; "black codes," to regulate the freedmen were starting to appear. 

The Radical Republicans in Congress began their move to change Johnson's program.  They gained support of Northerners who were shocked to see Southerners maintaining many of the prewar leaders who imposed many of the prewar restrictions upon Negroes.  Their first measure was to refuse to seat any Senator or Representative from the old Confederacy, followed by their passing procedures that dealt with former slaves. Johnson quickly vetoed this legislation. The Radicals in turn, for the first time in history, gathered enough votes to overturn the President's veto. The bill passed, known as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which established Negroes as American citizens and forbade discrimination against them.  Several months later, Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment, which specified that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."

All the former Confederate states, except Tennessee, ratified the amendment, and two bloody race riots began in the South. When Johnson went to speak in the Middle West of the country, he faced very hostile audiences.