Editing Andrew Johnson (section)

== Early life and career ==

=== Childhood ===
[[File:Andrew Johnsons First Home 2006.jpg|thumb|Johnson's birthplace and childhood home, located at the [[Mordecai House|Mordecai Historic Park]] in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]]|left]]

Andrew Johnson was born in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], on December 29, 1808, to Jacob Johnson (1778–1812) and Mary ("Polly") McDonough (1783–1856), a laundress. He was of [[English Americans|English]], [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]], and [[Scottish Americans|Scottish]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Robert A. |last=Nowlan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0K-nCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA387 |title=The American Presidents From Polk to Hayes: What They Did, What They Said & What Was Said About Them |publisher=Outskirts Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4787-6572-1 |page=387}}</ref> He had a brother, William, four years his senior, and an older sister Elizabeth, who died in childhood. Johnson's birth in a two-room shack was a political asset in the mid-19th century, and he frequently reminded voters of his humble origins.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=17–18}}{{Sfn|Castel|2002|p=225}} Jacob Johnson was a poor man, as had been his father, William Johnson, but he became town constable of Raleigh before marrying and starting a family. Jacob Johnson had been a [[porter (carrier)|porter]] for the [[State Bank of North Carolina]], appointed by [[William Polk (colonel)|William Polk]], a relative of President [[James K. Polk]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Polk |first=William Harrison |url=http://archive.org/details/polkfamilykinsme00polk |title=Polk family and kinsmen |date=1912 |publisher=Press of the Bradley & Gilbert Co. |others=New York Public Library |location=Louisville, Kentucky |pages=143 |language=en-us |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Both Jacob and Mary were illiterate, and had worked as tavern servants, while Johnson never attended school{{Sfn|Castel|2002|p=225}} and grew up in poverty.{{Sfn|Castel|2002|p=225}} Jacob died of an apparent heart attack while ringing the town bell, shortly after rescuing three drowning men, when his son Andrew was three.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=20}} Polly Johnson worked as a washerwoman and became the sole support of her family. Her occupation was then looked down on, as it often took her into other homes unaccompanied. Since Andrew did not resemble either of his siblings, there are rumors that he may have been fathered by another man. Polly Johnson eventually remarried to a man named Turner Doughtry, who was as poor as she was.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=18–22}}

Johnson's mother apprenticed her son William to a tailor, James Selby. Andrew also became an apprentice in Selby's shop at age ten and was legally bound to serve until his 21st birthday. Johnson lived with his mother for part of his service, and one of Selby's employees taught him rudimentary literacy skills.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=22–23}} His education was augmented by citizens who would come to Selby's shop to read to the tailors as they worked. Even before he became an apprentice, Johnson came to listen. The readings instilled in him a lifelong love of learning, and his biographer [[Annette Gordon-Reed]] suggests that Johnson, later a gifted public speaker, learned the art as he threaded needles and cut cloth.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=26}}

[[File:Andrew Johnson s Indenture (Asheville News, August 20, 1869, Page 4).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|"Andrew Johnson's Indenture" (''Asheville News'', August 20, 1869, Page 4)]]
{{Andrew Johnson series}}
Johnson was unhappy at James Selby's, and after about five years, he and his brother ran away. Selby responded by placing a reward for their return: "Ten Dollars Reward. Ran away from the subscriber, two apprentice boys, legally bound, named William and Andrew Johnson&nbsp;... [payment] to any person who will deliver said apprentices to me in Raleigh, or I will give the above reward for Andrew Johnson alone."{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=27}} The brothers went to [[Carthage, North Carolina]], where Johnson worked as a tailor for several months. Fearing he would be arrested and returned to Raleigh, Johnson moved to [[Laurens, South Carolina]]. He found work quickly, met his first love, Mary Wood, and made her a quilt as a gift. However, she rejected his marriage proposal. He returned to Raleigh, hoping to buy out his apprenticeship, but could not come to terms with Selby. Unable to stay in Raleigh, where he risked being apprehended for abandoning Selby, he decided to move west.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=23–26}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=27–29}}

=== Move to Tennessee ===
Johnson left North Carolina for Tennessee, traveling mostly on foot. After a brief period in [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], he moved to [[Mooresville, Alabama]].{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=23–26}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=29–30}} He then worked as a tailor in [[Columbia, Tennessee]], but was called back to Raleigh by his mother and stepfather, who saw limited opportunities there and who wished to emigrate west. Johnson and his party traveled through the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] to [[Greeneville, Tennessee]]. Andrew Johnson fell in love with the town at first sight, and when he became prosperous purchased the land where he had first camped and planted a tree in commemoration.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=28–29}}
[[File:Locket_portraits_of_Andrew_and_Eliza_(McCardle)_Johnson_created_1840s.jpg|thumb|[[Locket]] portraits of Andrew and Eliza (McCardle) Johnson, created 1840s]]
In Greeneville, Johnson established a successful tailoring business in the front of his home. In 1827, at the age of 18, he married 16-year-old [[Eliza McCardle Johnson|Eliza McCardle]], the daughter of a local shoemaker. The pair were married by Justice of the Peace [[Mordecai Lincoln]], first cousin of [[Thomas Lincoln]], whose son would become president. The Johnsons were married for almost 50 years and had five children: [[Martha Johnson Patterson|Martha]] (1828), [[Charles Johnson (Tennessee)|Charles]] (1830), [[Mary Johnson Stover|Mary]] (1832), [[Robert Johnson (Tennessee)|Robert]] (1834), and [[Andrew Johnson Jr.|Andrew Jr.]] (1852). Though she had [[tuberculosis]], Eliza supported her husband's endeavors. She taught him mathematics skills and tutored him to improve his writing.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=27–29}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=31–32}} Shy and retiring by nature, Eliza Johnson usually remained in Greeneville during Johnson's political rise. She was not often seen during her husband's presidency; their daughter Martha usually served as official hostess.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=32}}

Johnson's tailoring business prospered during the early years of the marriage, enabling him to hire help and giving him the funds to invest profitably in real estate.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=32–33}} He later boasted of his talents as a tailor, "my work never ripped or gave way".{{Sfn|Castel|1979|p=3}} He was a voracious reader. Books about famous orators aroused his interest in political dialogue, and he had private debates on the issues of the day with customers who held opposing views. He also took part in debates at [[Greeneville College]].{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=31}}

=== Slaves ===
{{main|Andrew Johnson and slavery}}
In 1843, Johnson purchased his first slave, [[Dolly Johnson|Dolly]], who was 14 years old at the time. Dolly had three children—[[Elizabeth Johnson Forby|Liz]], [[Florence Johnson Smith|Florence]] and [[William Andrew Johnson|William]]. Soon after his purchase of Dolly, he purchased Dolly's half-brother [[Sam Johnson (Tennessee)|Sam]]. Sam Johnson and his wife Margaret had nine children. Sam became a commissioner of the [[Freedmen's Bureau]] and was known for being a proud man who negotiated the nature of his work with the Johnson family. Notably, he received some monetary compensation for his labors and negotiated with Andrew Johnson to receive a tract of land which Johnson gave him for free in 1867.<ref name="park"/>

[[File:Sam Johnson (Tennessee).jpg|thumb|In a 1928 Andrew Johnson biography, [[Sam Johnson (Tennessee)|Sam Johnson]] (~1830–after 1901) was described having been Johnson's "favorite slave"<ref name="Winston1928">
{{Cite book |last=Winston |first=Robert W. | author-link=Robert W. Winston |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4432643&seq=133 |title=Andrew Johnson, Plebeian and Patriot |date=1928 |publisher=H. Holt and company |location=New York |page=103 |language=en-us |via=[[HathiTrust]]}}</ref>]]

In 1857, Johnson purchased [[Henry Johnson (Tennessee)|Henry]], who was 13 at the time and would later accompany the Johnson family to the [[White House]]. Ultimately, Johnson owned at least ten slaves.<ref name="park">{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Slaves of Andrew Johnson |url=https://www.nps.gov/anjo/learn/historyculture/slaves.htm |access-date=January 21, 2022 |website=Andrew Johnson |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Andrew Johnson freed his slaves on August 8, 1863; they remained with him as paid servants. A year later, Johnson, as military governor of Tennessee, proclaimed the freedom of Tennessee's slaves. Sam and Margaret, Johnson's former slaves, lived in his tailor shop while he was president, without rent.<ref name="park" /> As a sign of appreciation for proclaiming freedom, Andrew Johnson was given a watch by newly emancipated people in Tennessee inscribed with "for his Untiring Energy in the Cause of Freedom".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Donhardt |first=Gary L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UW32n2HWwRIC&q=%22for+his+untiring+energy+in+the+cause+of+Freedom.%22&pg=PA55 |title=In the Shadow of the Great Rebellion |date=2007 |publisher=Nova Science Publishers |isbn=978-1-60021-086-0 |location=New York |page=55}}</ref>