The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Certain that President Johnson would not support the Reconstruction Acts, which had been passed over his veto, Congress passed a law called the Tenure of Office Act. It required Senate approval for the president to fire any government official who had been confirmed by the Senate.

Johnson believed that the law was unconstitutional, and promptly tested it by firing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who supported radical Reconstruction. Congress immediately impeached Johnson, citing three reasons: he had violated the Tenure of Office Act, made “scandalous speeches,” and “brought Congress into disgrace.”

The truth of the matter was that Congress had deliberately passed the Tenure of Office Act in order to provoke Johnson. Republicans believed that he was incompetent to lead the nation; they did not like his leniency toward the leaders of the old Confederacy or his refusal to sign any laws that granted rights to freedmen. Unfortunately for the Republicans, political disagreement with Congress was not grounds for removing a president from office. After an eight-week trial in which it became clear that Johnson had not committed high crimes or misdemeanors—the only legal grounds for impeachment—the president was acquitted by a margin of one vote.

Practice questions for these concepts can be found at:

Reconstruction and the Civil War Practice Test