Speeches of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States

What it is

This is a printed book of speeches by Andrew Johnson, published in Boston by Little, Brown and Company in 1865. It opens with a biographical introduction by Frank Moore and then prints Johnson's speeches, including one to the colored men of Nashville, one given in Washington on April 3, 1865, his inaugural speech of April 15, 1865, and an 1848 speech in the House of Representatives on the veto power. The copy is a scan from the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

The collection shows Johnson's public voice across his career, from his time as a congressman to his first days as president after Lincoln's death. Printing his speeches in 1865, while he was in office, shows how quickly the public was given his words and how his image was being shaped. Moore's introduction is a later editorial choice that frames how readers should understand the speeches.

Look closer

• Which topics does Johnson address, and who is his audience in each speech?
• What does Moore's introduction add, and what might it leave out?
• How does the inaugural speech compare with the earlier speech on the veto power?