In the first episode of our new series on the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, Judge Stephen J. Sfekas begins with one of the biggest questions in American history: how do you end a devastating war without creating the next crisis? He traces Johnson’s rise from poverty and illiteracy to political power, examines the resentments and contradictions that shaped him, and explains why Abraham Lincoln saw him as the right running mate at a pivotal moment in the Civil War.But the qualities that made Johnson useful in wartime did not make him fit to lead the country that emerged from it. As Lincoln is assassinated and Johnson takes office, this episode shows how a seemingly logical choice became a disastrous president, setting the stage for one of American history's most consequential impeachment fights.