Impeachment of Johnson RCongress believed Johnson was blocking Reconstruction so they impeached (placed on trial for dismissal) him, the first impeachment in history.

Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment What does it mean to impeach a president? Why would a president be impeached?

Background  Upon Lincoln’s assassination Andrew Johnson took control of both the presidency and reconstruction of the divided nation after the Civil War.

Clashes with Congress »During Congress’ recess between April to December of 1865, Johnson conducted the reconstruction on his own and attempted to work without Congressional approval.

Key Points of Presidential Reconstruction  Discuss the major points of Andrew Johnson’s reconstruction plan with a partner.  Why would Johnson’s plan upset Radical Republicans?  Discuss the major points of Andrew Johnson’s reconstruction plan with a partner.  Why would Johnson’s plan upset Radical Republicans?

Reasons to Impeach Constitutional provisions for impeachment of a president of the United States stipulate that the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach (to bring charges) and the Senate alone is responsible for trying those so charged. Conviction and removal from office can occur only by a two-thirds vote of the Senate and must be based upon the commission of treason, bribery or high crimes and misdemeanors.

Bringing Charges Between 1866 and 1868 the Radical Republicans in Congress and Johnson engaged in a political chess match over reconstruction legislation. (Civil Rights Act)

Four Charges  The Radical Republicans organized an effort in Congress to impeach the president as a payback for resisting their programs. Since even his sternest critics could not produce evidence of treason or bribery, the Radicals assembled an array of high crimes and misdemeanors, which included:  *violating of the Tenure of Office Act  *Pardoning of traitors (presumably Confederate officials)  *Impeding the ratification of the 14th Amendment  *Conspiring in the assassination of Lincoln (a ridiculous assertion which was dropped from the final list of charges).

The Trial

The trial was so crowded that tickets for admission had to be issued

The Verdict After 10 days of deliberations between May 16 and May 26, the vote in the Senate was for conviction on each of the four charges, one vote short of the necessary two-thirds.

Out of Time Johnson spent the final months of his term in office as a “lame duck” president. Johnson spent the final months of his term in office as a “lame duck” president. What does it mean to be a “lame duck”? What does it mean to be a “lame duck”?

Harper’ s Weekly Magazi ne

Results / Should Johnson have been impeached? / Do you believe he should have been convicted? / Who is the only other president to be impeached? What was the charge? / Should Johnson have been impeached? / Do you believe he should have been convicted? / Who is the only other president to be impeached? What was the charge?