Andrew Johnson: Veto of the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill

Throughout his political career, Andrew Johnson was a strong supporter of states’ rights, rendering it perhaps somewhat surprising that he did not join with the South and resign his Senate seat at the outbreak of the Civil War. Nevertheless, he was also a defender of the Union. His Veto of the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill is one example of his desire to rein in the powers of the federal government over the states. Johnson had several objections to the bill as it was presented to him by Congress—in particular, the formation of military jurisdiction over the parts of the country served by the bureau and the unsupervised nature of its powers. Congress overrode his veto, and the bureau survived until 1868.