Andrew Johnson was not elected to fill Lincoln, he was just elected vice president. After the assassination, he found himself in a very difficult situation. Rebuilding the United States after the Civil War would be a heavy burden for him. He planned to gain some compliance from the seceding states and reunify the entire country as it was before the Civil War. He was placed in situations he was not comfortable in and was not prepared to deal with during his presidency. Honestly, he was only elected to try to maintain the balance between North and South and to gain the support of pro-war Democrats. Johnson didn't really have an education. Throughout the period of Reconstruction after the horrific Civil War, Andrew Johnson was eager to create a more stable and stronger nation. Andrew Johnson never went to school, he just taught himself to read. This showed his desire to work, but it provided him with virtually no education. As Hans L. Trefousse's biography of Andrew Johnson shows, Andrew Johnson was deprived of schooling or any general form of education. Johnson came from a poor background, so education wasn't really an option. When he was young, he taught himself to read. Andrew Johnson was deprived of schooling or any general form of education. Trefousse says, “Andrew Johnson stands out as unique – unique in that he was the only one impeached, and unique in that he didn't attend school a single day. » He was apprenticed to the tailor Selby where he came to listen to citizens reading to the tailors. Johnson was not the best prepared for his job considering he had never been to school. Self-learning is great, but it wasn't enough for the presidency, nor for the vice presidency. The United States was not looking for a vice president with the expectation that he would have to rebuild the United States as president when he was running for vice president. Andrew Johnson should never have been elected vice president of the United States. Having almost no education isn't exactly a start for a vice president. He was put in situations where he was completely unprepared and didn't make an intelligent decision. Andrew Johnson's unpreparedness and Johnson was unprepared to take on the task of rebuilding and trying to return the United States to its original peace. Andrew Johnson NPWeb. October 20, 2013. “Andrew Johnson.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, and Web. November 14, 2013Trefousse, Hans L. Andrew Johnson: A Biography. New York: Norton, 1989. Print. “35a. Presidential reconstruction. » Presidential Reconstruction [ushistory.org]. History of the United States, nd Web. November 14. 2013.