Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln had shared experiences. They were both born into poverty and succeeded in life much from their own efforts. Both were poorly educated and self taught. Both reached the top rung in politics, but the similarities ended there. While Lincoln was a skilled debater who could defuse confrontational situations with a joke or funny story, Johnson was confrontational. While Lincoln was far more racially tolerant than most men of his time, Johnson was an racist. After tangling with the Radical Republicans in Congress, Johnson went on the road from August 27 to September 15, 1866 to stump for friendly congressional candidates. His “swing around the circle,” which started and ended in Philadelphia, took him to the midwestern states. He mostly spoke in favor of the election of Democrats. Johnson was easily distracted by hecklers and argued with them. There were unconfirmed reports that he was drunk at some events. Ultimately he lost most of the races he had hoped to win. By 1868, his relations with Congress had reached the point where they impeached him. The Senate failed to convict him by one vote. This piece by Robert Lovett was issued in Philadelphia at the beginning of the swing. This piece was also made by Robert Lovett. This piece marked his rally in New York City. This is a ticket to the Senate gallery on April 7, 1868 where one could have observed the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson. I have not seen a great many of these tokens offered for sale. I think that they are fairly scarce. The impeachment trial tickets are also scarce. You can find them with various dates on them in multiple colors. The impeachment process ran from March 5 to May 26, 1868. The Senate vote was one vote short of removing him from office.
