A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Lincoln Symposium I went to (link here).  While I was in the neighborhood I thought I’d stop by the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.  OK, so I have to admit, I didn’t really know a whole bunch about the guy.  I mean I knew that he was military governor of Tennessee and eventually Lincoln’s Vice-President, became President after Lincoln was assassinated, and then fell out of favor with his own party and was impeached.  That was about it.

There was more to the man than met the eye.  He held an unwavering loyalty to, and strict interpretation of, the Constitution.  Growing up without much education he didn’t learn to read until after he was married.  A tailor by trade, he developed a passion for politics and was an Alderman, Mayor, State Senator, US Congressman, Governor of TN, US Senator – and this was all before the CiviL War broke out.  If you ever get the chance to learn more about Andrew Johnson by visiting this site or picking up a biography I encourage you to do so.  You won’t be disappointed.