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Primary sourceNewspaper article22 February 1866 (published 10 March 1866)

President Johnson Addressing Citizens at Washington, February 1866

Harper's Weekly · 22 February 1866 (published 10 March 1866)

A Harper's Weekly engraving of President Andrew Johnson speaking to a crowd of citizens in Washington in February 1866.

Shows Johnson delivering a public speech to citizens in Washington during his presidency.

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Engraving of a large crowd of men in top hats and women in long dresses gathered before tall white columns of a building, with a speaker standing at the center near the columns. Gas lamps and bare trees appear at left.
Harper's Weekly, President Johnson addressing his fellow-citizens at Washington, February 22, 1866. Published March 10, 1866.

About this source

What it is

This engraving was published in Harper's Weekly on March 10, 1866, showing President Andrew Johnson addressing a crowd of citizens in Washington, D.C. on February 22, 1866. It shows a large gathering of men and women before a columned building with a speaker at the center.

Why it matters

This image documents a public moment from Johnson's presidency, as he communicated directly with citizens during the turbulent years of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Illustrated newspapers like Harper's Weekly were a main way Americans learned what their president looked like and did, since photography of live events was not yet common.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about the size and mood of the crowd from how the artist drew them?
  • Why might a newspaper have sent an artist to record this speech instead of just printing Johnson's words?
  • What does the setting, with its grand columns, suggest about the importance given to this event?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Andrew Johnson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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