Andrew Johnson became president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. His biases quickly alienated moderate Republicans and put the Radicals in charge of Reconstruction. Conflict between the Radicals and Johnson climaxed in the first impeachment of a president in US history.
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The famous Union Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant was considered a great general but a terrible president. He consistently ranks near the bottom of the historian's poll. His administration was saddled by incompetence and corruption. The main issues during his 8 years in office were Reconstruction, the economy, civil service reform, and a split in the Republican party.
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The era of Reconstruction ended with the longest-contested presidential election in American history. While the Republicans maintained control of the White House in the Compromise of 1877, their control over the governments of the South slipped away, setting back the Civil Rights of African Americans for generations.
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