Today is the anniversary of Andrew Johnson’s birth. He became President after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He had a rocky relationship with Congress and was impeached by the House of Representatives. He was later acquitted by the Senate.
After his term as President ended, he tried to re-enter public office but had very little luck. He finally won a seat in the US Senate and began serving as a Senator from Tennessee on March 4, 1875. Unfortunately, he died just four months into his term on July 31 of that same year.
Today is also the anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre. In 1890, over 200 Native Americans were killed at the hands of the United States Seventh Cavalry. It took place at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.
The US Government was trying to suppress a religious practice of the Native Americans known as the Ghost Dance. This called for a messiah who would make the white man disappear and restore Native American rule to the plains. After Chief Sitting Bull died on December 15, tensions flared higher, and the result was the massacre on December 29.
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