Surprising that there are no reviews for this documentary since it was released just about a year ago as I write this. Even more surprising is that no one has given it a viewer rating either, so that's an unusual first for me that's never happened before. My rating has to do more so for the history lesson it conveyed than for it's production value, which in this case was adequate but might have been better with a lengthier format.
What will probably surprise most folks who watch this program is how the political situation in 1868 so weirdly parallels events that have occurred in this country in 2020. Odder still is how the Republican and Democrat parties of over a hundred fifty years ago have undergone almost a complete role reversal in the present day. Topping all that off is the idea that Republican President Abraham Lincoln chose to replace his first term Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, with a politician from the opposite side of the political aisle in the name of uniting the country following the devastating effects of the Civil War.
Andrew Johnson was inaugurated as Vice President only forty one days before Lincoln's assassination, and by most accounts, showed up for his swearing in intoxicated. Almost immediately, a handful of Congressmen and Cabinet members found themselves in opposition to the Democrat, fearing that he would betray Lincoln's legacy while unraveling the Union Victory in the War. Believing in the sovereignty of states rights, Johnson had no problem with former Southern political leaders being restored to power, and in May of 1865, issued a proclamation pardoning rebels who participated in the War in exchange for a loyalty oath to the Union. As such Johnson was a pro-slavery advocate, which threatened the progressive reconstruction agenda that Northern politicians had in mind.
Johnson's fiercest critics included Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, Senator Charles Sumner and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. As things came to a head with the 'Accidental President', the election of 1866 gave the Republicans a two thirds majority needed to convict in the Senate. The documentary lays out the historical timeline of events that led up to the impeachment and how he was saved from removal as President by a single vote. Unfortunately for Johnson, even though he sought renomination by his party for President in 1868, he was bypassed, and the next President was Republican war hero Ulysses. S. Grant. Whether one is aware of this chapter in American history or not, I think most folks would find this documentary quite fascinating, and therefore quite well recommended.
What will probably surprise most folks who watch this program is how the political situation in 1868 so weirdly parallels events that have occurred in this country in 2020. Odder still is how the Republican and Democrat parties of over a hundred fifty years ago have undergone almost a complete role reversal in the present day. Topping all that off is the idea that Republican President Abraham Lincoln chose to replace his first term Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, with a politician from the opposite side of the political aisle in the name of uniting the country following the devastating effects of the Civil War.
Andrew Johnson was inaugurated as Vice President only forty one days before Lincoln's assassination, and by most accounts, showed up for his swearing in intoxicated. Almost immediately, a handful of Congressmen and Cabinet members found themselves in opposition to the Democrat, fearing that he would betray Lincoln's legacy while unraveling the Union Victory in the War. Believing in the sovereignty of states rights, Johnson had no problem with former Southern political leaders being restored to power, and in May of 1865, issued a proclamation pardoning rebels who participated in the War in exchange for a loyalty oath to the Union. As such Johnson was a pro-slavery advocate, which threatened the progressive reconstruction agenda that Northern politicians had in mind.
Johnson's fiercest critics included Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, Senator Charles Sumner and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. As things came to a head with the 'Accidental President', the election of 1866 gave the Republicans a two thirds majority needed to convict in the Senate. The documentary lays out the historical timeline of events that led up to the impeachment and how he was saved from removal as President by a single vote. Unfortunately for Johnson, even though he sought renomination by his party for President in 1868, he was bypassed, and the next President was Republican war hero Ulysses. S. Grant. Whether one is aware of this chapter in American history or not, I think most folks would find this documentary quite fascinating, and therefore quite well recommended.
