FREE ESSAY ON IMPEACHMENT OF ANDREW JOHNSON

IMPEACHMENT OF ANDREW JOHNSON

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
With the assassination of Lincoln, the presidency fell upon an old-fashioned southerner
named Andrew Johnson. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one of the
most unfortunate Presidents. Over time there has been a controversial debate as to
whether Johnson deserved to be impeached, or if it was an unconstitutional attempt by
Congress to infringe upon the presidents authority. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was
politically motivated.
The spirit of the Jacksonian democracy inspired Andrew Johnson. From this influence he
helped found the Democratic Party in his region and became elected to the town council in
1829. After serving in his town council for two years he was elected mayor in 1831.
Johnson was a strict constructionist and an advocate of states' rights who distrusted the
power of government at all levels. Following his term as Mayor Johnson won elections to
the Tennessee State legislature in 1835, 1839, and 1841. After serving these terms he was
elected to Congress in 1843. As a member of the US House, Johnson opposed government
involvement in the nations economy through tariffs and internal improvements. In 1852
Johnson lost his seat in the US House because of gerrymandering by the Whig- dominated
state legislature. (Jackson) Following his loss he came back in 1853 to win a narrow
victory for governor and served two terms. In 1857, Johnson was then elected to represent
Tennessee in the US Senate. While serving in the Senate Johnson became an 
advocate of the Homestead Bill, which was opposed by most Southern Democrats and their
slave owning, plantation constituents. (Kennedy) This issue strained the already tense
relations between Johnson and the wealthy planters in western Tennessee. Eventually the
party split into regional factions. Johnson made the decision to back the Southern
Democratic nominee, John Breckinridge. By this time the rupture between Johnson and most
Southern Democrats was too deep to heal. The break became final when Johnson allied
himself with pro-union Whigs to fight the Secessionist Democrats in his state for several
months. When the Civil War began, Johnson was the only Senator from a Confederate state
that did not leave Congress to return to the South. During the war, Johnson made the
decision to join the Republicans in the National Union Party.
In 1864, Johnson's big break came. Lincoln selected him as vice presidential running mate
on the National running mate. When it came time for Johnson to deliver his inaugural
address he delivered it while inebriated, lending credence to the rumors that he was an
alcoholic. (Kennedy) Even with these rumors floating around it didn't stop the victory of
Lincoln and Johnson in the 1864 election.
Within six weeks of taking office as Vice President, Johnson succeeded to the Presidency
after Lincoln's assassination. Johnson wasn't prepared for this position and faced many
difficult decisions. 
Johnson's first difficult situation was developing a policy for the postwar 
reconstruction of the union. Johnson's Reconstruction Plan allowed the former 
confederate states to return quickly to the Union. This plan would have left the 
civil rights of former slaves completely under the auspices of former-slave 
owners (Kennedy).
Johnson believed secession was illegal. He felt that the Southern states were still in
the union and only had to set up loyal governments to resume legitimate relations with
the United States. (Trefousse) Congress didn't share the same views as the president
though, they felt that the freedmen should be protected and the power of the Republican
Party should be sustained in the South. Since the President could not guarantee black
civil and political rights it caused opponents to pass the fourteenth Amendment in hope
of securing them. His continued intransigence led to the framing of the Reconstruction
Acts, remanding the Southern states to military rule until they enfranchised the blacks
and ratified the amendment. (Trefousse) Radical Republicans in Congress wrestled control
of Reconstruction from the President and began passing their own program over Johnson's
vetoes. The result was the passage of the Tenure of Office Act. This act prevented the
President form dismissing officials appointed by him and with the advice and consent of
the Senate without the body's approval. In addition to this act there was the Army
Appropriations Act that stipulated that the President must transmit his orders to the
military through the commanding General of the Army in Washington.
During Johnson's term General William H Emory was the commander of the Washington
military district. 
On February 22, 1868, Johnson had a conversation with General Emory where 
Johnson expressed his feelings that the Army Appropriation Act of 1867, which 
required all orders to military commanders to be issued through General Grant, 
was unconstitutional. (Morin)
The House Republicans interpreted the President's remark as a suggestion that Emory pass
along Johnson's own military commands without referring them to Grant. This was a clear
violation of the law. Around the same time Johnson violated the Tenure of Office act by
receiving Stanton and not receiving the Senate's approval. With these two violations
committed by Johnson the Judiciary Committee voted to submit a report recommending
impeachment. (Chaddock)
The house drafted eleven articles of impeachment. The first eight articles described
specific actions by the President that violated the Tenure of Office Act. The ninth
article charged the President with trying to persuade an army officer to violate the 1867
Army Appropriation Act. This article referred to a conversation the president had on
February 22, 1868, with Major General William H. Emory.
The tenth article charged that in numerous public speeches the President deliberately
tried to set aside the rightful authority and powers of Congress by subjecting it to
disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach. (Zeitz) 
The eleventh article charged the President with declaring on a public speech that the
Thirty-ninth Congress, as a Congress of only some of the states, had no authority to
exercise legislative power.
Rumors of an armed conflict between the President and Congress spread. Grant 
ordered the army garrison in Washington to remain on alert for trouble and stationed
extra troops at the War Department building. (Benedict) The expected clash never occurred
however. On February 28, 1868, when the house voted along strict party lined to impeach
President Johnson. 
The House appointed seven members to argue the House's case before the Senate. These
seven managers' included two Republicans who had voted against impeachment in 1867 and
two of Johnson's most outspoken radical opponents, Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, and
Benjamin F. Butler of Massachusetts. (Stathis)
The trial centered on the Tenure of Office Act. 
There were two main questions concerning this law- whether it was 
constitutional and whether it protected Stanton. It became obvious during the 
trial that the real reason for impeachment was not the dismissal of Stanton but 
the long-standing quarrel between the President and Congress about 
Reconstruction. (Trefousse)
When the Senate met on May 16, 1868, to decide on its verdict, it agreed to vote first on
the eleventh article, which seemed to offer the best chance for obtaining a conviction. 
When the final votes came in three states voted to acquit, Tennessee, Kentucky, 
and Philadelphia. Ten states voted to convict, California, Nevada, Oregon, 
Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and 
Massachusetts. Eleven states had split votes, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, 
Wisconsin, Indiana, Maine, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and 
Kansas. (UMKC)
When the Senate met on May 16, 1868, to decide on its verdict, it agreed to vote first on
the eleventh article, which seemed to offer the best chance for obtaining a conviction.
The final vote for conviction was left up to the Kansas Senator Ed Ross. Senator Ross
asked President Johnson for the assurance that he would cooperate in the readmission of
the Southern States under the rules that Congress imposed. When Johnson agreed these
stipulations Senator Ross casted his vote not to convict the President. This made the
final vote 35-19 one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to convict the President.

The Republicans who voted for conviction were concerned about their own and 
their party's future, as well as the possibility that Johnson would allow the 
former confederate leaders to regain their political power. The Democrats, on 
the other hand, had nothing to gain by voting to convict a president who shared 
their political views. (Morin)
The President's own behavior during the trial also helped him. At the instance of his
lawyers, Johnson stayed away from the Senate chamber and refrained from making
inflammatory public speeches while the trial was going on. Moreover, Johnson, who had so
often refused to compromise on political questions, arranged deals with moderate
conservative Republicans. (Anonymous) 
As soon as the trial ended, Stanton resigned form office. Four days later the Senate
confirmed General Schofield as Stanton's successor. (Benedict) In June 1868, Congress
readmitted seven southern states that had complied with its requirements, leaving only
Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia without congressional power. 
At the end of Johnson's term, he returned to Tennessee where he began to rebuild his
political base of support and unsuccessfully seeking the Democratic vote for various
offices. Finally in 1875, an alliance of Republicans and a fraction of the Democratic
Party in the Tennessee legislature again elected him to the party in the US Senate. He
served only five months before he passed away.
Today many historians agree that the claim of Johnson's violation of the Tenure of Office
Act was only a pretext for impeaching him. Had Johnson been convicted, the verdicts would
have set a precedent that officials can be impeached just because Congress disagrees with
their political views. The real issue was political- the president's use of the powers of
his office to abstract the execution of laws that Congress had enacted. 
Bibliography
WORKS CITED
Benedict, Michael. A new look at the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Political 
Science Quarterly Fall 1998. 9 October 1999 http://www.proquest.umi.com 
Chaddock, Gail Russell. Heated trials shaped impeachment history Christian
Science Monitor 5 January 1999. 9 October 1999 http://www.proquest.umi.com 
Anonymous. Impeachment 1868. The Nation 25 January 1999. 10 October 1999 
http://www.proquest.umi.com
Jackson, Robert. The Impeachment Debate. The Los Angeles Times 19 December 
1998. 9 October 1999 http://www.proquest.umi.com
Kennedy, Robert. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Harpweek. 11 October 
1999 http://www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com
Morin, Isobel. Impeaching the President. Brookfield, C.T: Millbrook Press, 1996: 53-
67
Stathis, Stephen. A view form the Iowa Congressional Delegation. Presidential
Studies Quarterly Winter 1994. 11 October 1999 http://www.proquest.umi.com
Trefousse, Hans. Impeach Johnson! Constitution Summer 1989: 37-42
UMKC Project Page. UMKC. January 1999 www.law.umkc.edu
Zeitz, Joshua. Impeach Johnson! The New Republic 18 January 1999. 9 October 
1999 http://www.proquest.umi.com