Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Public domain · source
Name	Andrew Johnson impeachment
Caption	Portrait of Andrew Johnson
Date	1868
Location	United States Capitol
Accused	Andrew Johnson
Charges	Violation of the Tenure of Office Act, alleged High crimes and misdemeanors
Outcome	Acquitted in the United States Senate by one vote

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was a landmark 1868 political crisis that pitted the Presidency against the United States Congress and featured central figures such as Benjamin Wade, Edwin Stanton, Thaddeus Stevens, Schuyler Colfax, and Salmon P. Chase. It arose from conflicts over Reconstruction policy after the American Civil War involving the Radical Republicans, the National Union Party, and factions of the Democratic Party. The proceeding tested the Tenure of Office Act and constitutional limits on removal power, captured public attention in cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and influenced later debates about presidential impeachment and separation of powers.

Background

Johnson, who had been elected Vice President of the United States under Abraham Lincoln and assumed the presidency after Lincoln's assassination, clashed with leaders such as Charles Sumner, Benjamin F. Wade, and Thaddeus Stevens over the pace and terms of Reconstruction for the former Confederate states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Johnson's vetoes of legislation including the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and his opposition to the Fourteenth Amendment alienated the Radical Republicans in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. The passage of the Tenure of Office Act by Congress, influenced by Edwin Stanton and championed by Benjamin F. Wade, restricted the president's ability to remove certain officeholders, creating the statutory conflict that precipitated impeachment. Political tensions were intensified by Johnson's use of pardon powers for former Confederates and his clashes with military authorities under the Reconstruction Acts administered by commanders such as Ulysses S. Grant.

Charges and Articles of Impeachment

The House drafted multiple articles centered on Johnson's alleged violations of the Tenure of Office Act after he sought to remove Edwin Stanton as Secretary of War and appoint Ulysses S. Grant allies and patronage replacements. Articles cited in the Articles of Impeachment accused Johnson of willful violation of statute, bringing into question the authority of the federal courts to interpret statutory removal powers and referencing debates in the United States House Judiciary Committee and floor managers like John Covode and Benjamin F. Butler. Additional articles alleged that Johnson undermined the Constitution by attempting to subvert the Reconstruction program and by making speeches attacking members such as Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, thereby inciting resistance among Southern Democrats and sympathetic Northern Democrats.

House of Representatives Proceedings

In the United States House of Representatives the impeachment resolution was guided by leaders including Thaddeus Stevens, John Bingham, and George S. Boutwell, who oversaw committee investigations and hearings that compiled testimony from witnesses such as Edwin Stanton allies and military officers assigned under the Reconstruction Acts. The House debated the resolution amid intense partisan press coverage from outlets in New York City, Boston, and Baltimore, and ultimately adopted eleven articles of impeachment. Managers selected to prosecute the case in the United States Senate included Benjamin Butler, John Bingham, and Thaddeus Stevens delegates, who marshaled evidence about Johnson's attempted removals, public speeches, and alleged attempts to impede congressional programs enacted to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation.

Senate Trial and Acquittal

The trial in the United States Senate was presided over by Salmon P. Chase as acting presiding officer, with Senators such as Edwin D. Morgan, Lyman Trumbull, Henry Wilson, and Benjamin Wade playing prominent roles in prosecution and defense strategy. The Senate assembled as a court of impeachment, heard arguments from House managers and Johnson's defense counsel including Benjamin R. Curtis and William M. Evarts, and examined witnesses about the Tenure of Office Act's application and Johnson's intent. After protracted debate, the Senate voted on three crucial articles and fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction, with Republican senators such as Edmund G. Ross and Joseph S. Fowler casting decisive votes that led to Johnson's acquittal. The outcome prevented Benjamin F. Wade, the Senate president pro tempore, from ascending to the presidency and preserved precedents about impeachment standards articulated by jurists like Joseph Story and debated in contexts including the later Clinton impeachment.

Political and Constitutional Implications

The acquittal had broad implications for constitutional interpretation and the balance of power between the President and Congress, informing legal scholarship by figures such as Joseph Story antecedents and later commentary in Harvard Law Review and decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. It affected the trajectory of Reconstruction policy, weakening the Radical Republican position and bolstering moderate approaches represented by politicians like Lyman Trumbull and Edwin D. Morgan. Debates about the Tenure of Office Act anticipated later judicial rulings on separation of powers and were revisited during considerations of executive privilege in disputes involving presidents such as Richard Nixon and Andrew Johnson's critics; the Act itself was later rendered moot and influenced eventual repeal and judicial review by courts including the Supreme Court of the United States.

Aftermath and Legacy

After acquittal, Johnson completed his term but remained politically marginalized; he later sought election to the United States Senate and briefly served, reflecting changing fortunes akin to politicians like John C. Calhoun and William H. Seward who experienced turbulent careers. The impeachment set precedents cited in subsequent cases involving presidential impeachment and congressional oversight in episodes including the impeachments of later presidents and scholarly analyses by historians such as Eric Foner and Doris Kearns Goodwin. The episode left a legacy in American constitutional law debates, popular memory represented in archives at institutions like the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, and ongoing discussion in academic journals and public history forums.

Category:Impeachments of United States federal officials Category:Andrew Johnson