Impeachment of: 17th President: (1865-1869)

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

    Impeachment is nothing new, it occurs in our lives today as it did many, many years ago when horses and carriages were used to transport goods across the fast growing nation.  By this time the capital was near its completition and the Civil War had effected the states, the cities, and especially the people.  The country was going through a period of reconstruction, during the term of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of our nation, was assassinated and new president would arise and lead the growing nation, filled with chaos.  He was President Lincoln's assistant, the vice-president of our nation, Andrew Johnson.

    Andrew Johnson became President of the United States of America and was the 17th President of our nation.   When Johnson became President he had two strikes against him, first he couldn't get along with Congress especially the "radical Republicans."  The second strike was that few men respected Johnson.  President Johnson wanted to show his power by firing the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton.  This unfortunately was the wrong person to fire because he was a radical Republican and Congress became furious towards Johnson.  Congress passed a law, the Tenure of Office Act, this was now the basis of Johnson's Impeachment.  This law would prohibit("ground") the President for using his right to dismiss any of the officials who had been appointed by the Senate without the Senate's approval.  This law was unconstitutional, meaning it was abided or allowed by the constitution, but it meant that Stanton would get his job back.   Johnson filled with rage decided to ignore the law and fired Stanton again.   Congress decided to try the President for impeachment, on February 24,1868 the House of Representatives voted for impeachment 126 to 47, they were able to bring eleven articles of impeachment against the President among which the first and the last were the most important, the first dealed with violating the Tenure of Office Act by firing Staton and the eleventh which stated that he had conspired against Congress and the Constitution, they also intended to use the three strikes.

    The trial was taken at the Senate, and a most unusual thing occurred, people decided to sell tickets to the first Presidential impeachment in our history.  Andrew Johnson had only nine Democrats and three Republicans on his side while thirty-five of the forty-two were Republicans who were thought to vote against Johnson toward his removal.  The trial ran from March 13, 1868 to May 26, 1868, and Andrew Johnson never appeared at any of the trials.  On May 26 Republican Senator Edmund G. Ross of  Kansas was the last undecided voter and choose to vote acquit.   This vote let Andrew Johnson stay in office to finish his term.

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