Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 –  July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson's strong opposition to federally guaranteed rights for black Americans is widely criticized. The campaign included fierce debates: Johnson's main issue was the passage of the Homestead Bill; Haynes contended it would facilitate abolition. Although secession from the Union had not been an issue in the campaign, talk of it began in the Southern states.Johnson took to the Senate floor after the election, giving a speech well received in the North, 'I will not give up this government ... No; I intend to stand by it ... and I invite every man who is a patriot to ... rally around the altar of our common country ... and swear by our God, and all that is sacred and holy, that the Constitution shall be saved, and the Union preserved.'