Who is the worst president ever? YOU DECIDE :D

Andrew Johnson did not create the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws lasted from 1876 to 1965, but Johnson's presidency only lasted four years from 1865 to 1869, his presidency ended a full 6 to 7 years before the Jim Crow laws became law. http://en.wikipedia.org... <- Time period of Jim Crow Laws http://www.whitehouse.gov... <- Johnson's term as president He did veto the passage of the 14th amendment, i will admit that is a fact. You claim that he failed to pave the way forward for southerners of all races, which I am guessing suggests he failed to help former slaves become equal in US Society. Following the Civil War and the assassination of the great president Abraham Lincoln, Reconstruction of the southern confederate states, which were in ruin, was not carried out by the president. At the time southern democrats were not admitted back into Congress until a few years after the Civil War ended, and when they did re-enter the Republican party still controlled Congress with a majority large enough to pass any bill they wanted. This means that Congress had to play the biggest role in paving the way to equality for newly freed slaves, not the president. Also implying that the president was solely responsible for why the south endured gripping poverty for years to come is laughable. The South had just gone through total war and much of the country, infrastructure, and even its class system lay in ruin. It would be pathetic to place the burden for rebuilding an entire economy completely on the president for two reasons. One is that at the time Congress had the most power regarding reconstruction of the south, and two is that the biggest issue following Lincolns death was readmitting states back into the union. Equality for former slaves and reconstruction and repairing the economy were secondary issues that would have to wait to be addressed, and many of them were handled only AFTER Johnson's presidency ended. You base most of your argument on the fact that president Johnson did all of this out of spite and on the fact that he did it because he wanted to abuse his powers bestowed on him now that he was president. He was not a wartime president but he was a wartime vice president, he never apposed Lincoln on any of his actions during the war either. There were no terrorist threats but everyone at the time wanted to restore the states to the union before any foreign nations in Europe or even Mexico could take advantage of the weakened United States. To argue that president Johnson had prejudices is impossible, he owned slaves and did oppose the 14th amendment. And I will admit that he did try to use his presidential authority to push his prejudices...... But should he be as vilified as much as you think he should be? Keep in mind that despite the man's prejudices, they never did win out. Congress did pass the 14th amendment over his veto, they also passed the freedman's bureau act over his veto. History should condemn presidents who used their power to enforce their prejudices AND SUCCEEDED IN DOING SO. No matter what Johnson did the Republican controlled Congress had the power to do what was right and repaired the country as best they could during his term in office. Many presidents used their presidential authority to enforce their will over everyone else, Andrew Jackson used his presidential authority to relocate native American's out of their homelands even though the Supreme Court passed legislation denying him the right to do just that. President Johnson was not the worst president in history, he was one of the most prejudiced president but he was also one of the weakest presidents in our history. The fact that he did not succeed in preventing historic legislation from passing should not make him the worst president ever, it should simply be made an interesting note in the history books in my opinion.