Swing Around the Circle

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Swing Around the Circle refers to a speaking campaign of US President Andrew Johnson in which he tried to gain support of his mild Reconstruction policies. It was referred to as such due to the route that the campaign took: "Washington, D.C., to New York, west to Chicago, south to St. Louis, and east through the Ohio River valley back to the nation’s capital". The campaign was a failure and Johnson lost more support than he gained as a result.

One of Johnson's stops brought him to the Seward House during the summer of 1866.

It is speculated that the president gave his speeches while drunk. This is because at the inauguration speech as Vice President in 1865, he had taken several shots of brandy to fortify himself, as he had been feeling sick. He was visibly drunk as he spoke, and from then on Johnson was dogged by suspicions of being a drunk. This is supported by the AMSCO AP US History book: "Republicans counterattacked by accusing Johnson of being a drunkard and a traitor."

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