The impeachment was the final blowup between Johnson and Congress over how to handle Reconstruction of the Union after the Civil War—and who was going to do it. Johnson believed he was going to do it his way.
It was the President, himself, however, who was brought to trial. The House of Representatives voted impeachment and the Senate tried the case. The trial lasted from March to May, 1868.
Moreover, Republicans were concerned at how quickly the southern states were passing laws to limit the freedoms of former slaves. Andrew Jackson and Congress did not work well together. They rejected his plans for Reconstruction, and Jackson in return vetoed their plans.
He also readmitted states into the union if 10 percent of the state's white voters pledged allegiance. After they rejoined the union, he allowed them to reform their government without slavery. Despite these great strides in Reconstruction, Johnson was not supported or popular with the powerful Republican party.
Impeachment of Andrew JohnsonOutcomeAcquitted by the U.S. Senate, remained in officeChargesEleven high crimes and misdemeanorsCauseViolating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to replace Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, while Congress was not in session and other abuses of presidential power23 more rows
After Lincoln's death, President Johnson proceeded to reconstruct the former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865. He pardoned all who would take an oath of allegiance, but required leaders and men of wealth to obtain special Presidential pardons.
President Johnson was impeached because he fired an official who was protected under the Tenure of office Act and because the house felt he had brought the office of president into disgrace. He was spared removal from office by one vote.
When assessing the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, what can be determined about this issue? Both Congress and the president accused the other of unconstitutional acts. When the Union was restored by 1870, the southern states had Democratic majorities.
The Confederate states would be required to uphold the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; swear loyalty to the Union; and pay off their war debt. Then they could re-write their state constitutions, hold elections, and begin sending representatives to Washington.
C) Presidential Impeachment- Congress impeached Andrew Johnson for Violating the Tenure of Office Act (law that limits a President from dismissing/firing a Congressional Appointee without the Senate's approval.
What was the most significant result of President Johnson's impeachment? Reconstruction was able to move forward without his interference.
Congress also wanted to reconstruct the presidency and the south. Andrew Johnson's impeachment was the result of Stanton's dismissal by the President, this was the last straw for the House Republicans. Johnson was just barely acquitted.
The political backing to begin impeachment came when Johnson breached the Tenure of Office Act by removing Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, from his cabinet.
The impeachment of President Andrew Johnson was a result of political conflict and the rupture of ideologies in the aftermath of the American Civil War. It rose from uncompromised beliefs and a contest for power in a nation struggling with reunity.
The House of Representatives voted impeachment and the Senate tried the case. The trial lasted from March to May, 1868. In May, the Senate voted to acquit Andrew Johnson by a margin of 35 guilty to 19 not guilty - one vote short of the two-thirds needed to convict.
The Tenure of Office Act had been passed over Johnson's veto in 1867 and stated that a President could not dismiss appointed officials without the consent of Congress. Both Lincoln and Johnson had experienced problems with Stanton, an ally of the Radicals in Congress.
Lincoln's plan also stated that when a tenth of the voters who had taken part in the 1860 election had agreed to the oath within a particular state, then that state could formulate a new government and start sending representatives to Congress.
Andrew Johnson was intent on carrying out this plan when he assumed the Presidency. This policy, however, did not sit well with certain radical Republicans in Congress who wanted to set up military governments and implement more stringent terms for readmission of the seceded states.
Use this Decision Point alongside the Comparing Impeachments across U.S. History Lesson to introduce students to the concept of impeachment and how it has been used throughout U.S. history.
1. Which act did Johnson violate that caused the House of Representatives to impeach him?
Explain how the Radical Republicans’ plan for Reconstruction differed from President Andrew Johnson’s.
Benedict, Michael Les. The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson. New York: W. W. Norton, 1999.
Johnson's plan also called for loyalty from ten percent of the men who had voted in the 1860 election. In addition, the plan called for granting amnesty ...
and pledged to abide by emancipation, voters could then elect delegates to draft new state constitutions and establish state governments.
It was put forth in hopes that it would give incentive to shorten the war and strengthen his emancipation goals, since it promised to protect private property , not including slaves.
Backlash occurred in the South in the form of the Black Codes. Passed in 1865 and 1866 in Southern states after the Civil War, these Codes severely restricted the new-found freedoms of the formerly enslaved people, and it forced them to work for low or no wages.
The doctrine of coercion to preserve a State in the Union has been vindicated by the people. It is the province of the Executive to see that the will of the people is carried out in the rehabilitation of the rebellious States, once more under the authority as well as the protection of the Union. " Andrew Johnson.
The act also directed that former Southern states seeking to reenter the Union must ratify the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to be considered for readmission. The 14th Amendment granted individuals born in the United States their citizenship, including nearly 4 million freedmen.
The bill passed both houses of Congress on July 2, 1864, but Lincoln pocket vetoed it, and it never took effect. In the brief period before Lincoln's death, political cartoons surmised how the "rail-splitter" president and "tailor" vice-president might put the country back together again. NPS Image.
In 1865 President Andrew Johnson implemented a plan of Reconstruction that gave the white South a free hand in regulating the transition from slavery to freedom and offered no role to blacks in the politics of the South. The end of the Civil War found the nation
What is the first obstacle Walt Masters must overcome to reach Dawson before the stampeders? (From the story: The King Of Mazy May)
President Andrew Johnson's plans for Reconstruction were the same as President Lincoln's plans: The union would be reunited, and the South should not be punished. Johnson planned to do this by pardoning Southerners who, though they took part in the war, pledged allegiance to the United States.
The Republican party wanted more emphasis on protecting the freed slaves and making reentrance into the union more difficult. Moreover, Republicans were concerned at how quickly the southern states were passing laws to limit the freedoms of former slaves. Andrew Jackson and Congress did not work well together.
When Jackson did so anyways with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Congress tried to impeach him. The House voted to do so, but the vote fell one short in the Senate. This contention ended in 1869 when Ulysses S. Grant became president and fully supported the Reconstruction plans of Congress. ADVERTISEMENT.
Andrew Jackson and Congress did not work well together. They rejected his plans for Reconstruction, and Jackson in return vetoed their plans. However, Congress was able to vote their Reconstruction plans through with a large enough margin. Congress also limited Jackson's presidential power through their passage of the Tenure of Office Act.