heal. The break became final when Johnson allied himself with pro-union Whigs to fight the Secessionist Democrats in his state for several months. When the Civil War began, Johnson was the only Senator from a Confederate state that did not leave Congress to return to the South. During the war, Johnson made the decision to join the Republicans in the National Union Party. In 1864, Johnson's big break came. Lincoln selected him as vice presidential running mate on the National running mate. "When it came time for Johnson to deliver his inaugural address he delivered it while inebriated, lending credence to the rumors that he was an alcoholic." (Kennedy) Even with these rumors floating around it didn't stop the victory of Lincoln and Johnson in the 1864 election. Within six weeks of taking office as Vice President, Johnson succeeded to the Presidency after Lincoln's assassination. Johnson wasn't prepared for this position and faced many difficult decisions. Johnson's first difficult situation was developing a policy for the postwar reconstruction of the union. Johnson's Reconstruction Plan allowed the former confederate states to return quickly to the Union. This plan would have left the civil rights of former slaves completely under the auspices of former-slave owners (Kennedy). Johnson believed secession was illegal. "He felt that the Southern states were still in the union and only had to set up loyal governments to resume legitimate relations with the United States." (Trefousse) Congress didn't share the same views as the president though, they felt that the freedmen should be protected and the power of the Republican Party should be sustained in the South. Since the President could not guarantee black civil and political rights it caused opponents to pass the fourteenth Amendment in hope of securing them. "His continued intransigence led to the framing of the Reconstruction Acts, remanding the Southern states to military rule until t...