The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

After Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Andrew Johnson took over as president, promising to pursue aggressive federal policies for Black equality. However, Frederick Douglass, the most influential Black leader, grew disillusioned with Johnson's policies and doubted his sincerity. In a dramatic meeting, Johnson and Douglass came to verbal blows over Reconstruction. Douglass continued to attack Johnson's policies and raised questions about the Radical Republicans' hesitancy to grant African Americans the vote. Johnson eventually made a surprising effort to appoint Douglass to a key position in his administration, but the Black community rejected him and called for a guilty verdict in his impeachment trial. Levine's book offers a distinctive vision of the lost promise and dire failure of Reconstruction, which still reverberates today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2022
Publisher: WW Norton & Co

America was on the verge of a radical transformation when Andrew Johnson took over as president following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Johnson, who appeared to be more progressive than Lincoln, seemed like the perfect candidate to lead the nation. He had already positioned himself as a "Moses" for the Black community, and African Americans were hopeful that he would implement aggressive federal policies to promote Black equality. Despite this early promise, Frederick Douglass, the most influential Black leader in the country, soon grew disillusioned with Johnson's policies and began to doubt the president's sincerity in supporting Black citizenship.

In a dramatic and pivotal meeting between Johnson and a Black delegation at the White House, the president and Douglass exchanged heated words over the course of Reconstruction. As Douglass lectured across the country, he continued to criticize Johnson's policies, raising concerns about the Radical Republicans' reluctance to grant African Americans the right to vote. Johnson, meanwhile, kept a close eye on Douglass, eventually making a surprising effort to appoint him to a key position in his administration.

Levine masterfully portrays the conflicts that led Douglass and the broader Black community to reject Johnson and call for a guilty verdict in his impeachment trial. He provides fresh insight by delving into letters between Douglass and his sons, speeches by Douglass and other prominent Black figures like Frances E.W. Harper, and articles and letters in the Christian Recorder, the most important African American newspaper of the time. By contrasting the lives and careers of Douglass and Johnson, Levine offers a unique perspective on the lost promise and tragic failure of Reconstruction, which continues to have far-reaching effects today.

Weight: 255g
Dimension: 211 x 140 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781324021797