The reversal of Field Order 15 was one of the greatest injustices in American history. It was the most straightforward form of reparations that could have been imagined, and it could have transformed the racial landscape for generations. But the people who voted for the Lincoln/Johnson ticket did not “handpick“ Johnson. Johnson was on the ticket in hopes of picking up a few southern votes, and everyone assumed he would be essentially powerless, as the vice presidency was a largely ceremonial office until the mid-20th century. The president supported by Lincoln voters so enraged the Slave holding states that his election triggered their secession from the United States. Lincoln endorsed field order 15 when it was issued, and worked tirelessly and successfully to abolish slavery throughout the United States before he was assassinated. It was not “White people“ who put Johnson in office. It was one white man with a gun.

Once Johnson was in office, his policies were actively resisted by the US Congress, who eventually impeached him.