The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Essay - 857 Words

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson President Andrew Johnson assumed office following Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson had his own ideas of Reconstruction and tried to take his own course of action in putting the Union back together following the Civil War. A series of bitter political quarrels between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction Policy in the South eventually led to his impeachment. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Radical Republicans wanted to enact a far-reaching transformation of Southern social and economic life, permanently ending the old planter class system, and favored granting freed slaves citizenship and voting rights. After the war, they came to believe whites in the South were seeking†¦show more content†¦The amendment granted the right to vote to all males twenty-one and older. Johnson opposed the amendment on the grounds it did not apply to Southerners who were without any representation in Congress. Tennessee was the only Southern state to ratify the amendment. The others, encouraged in part by Johnson, refused. Moderate voters in the North began leaning toward the Radicals. The Radicals swept the elections of November 1866, resulting in a two-thirds anti-Johnson majority in both the House and Senate. With this majority, three consecutive vetoes by Johnson were overridden by Congress in 1867, thus passing the Military Reconstruction Act, Command of the Army Act, and Tenure of Office Act against his wishes, (Les Benedict 18). The Military Reconstruction Act divided the South into five military districts under federal control and imposed strict requirements on Southern states in order for them to be re-admitted to the Union, including ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and new state constitutions in compliance with the U.S. Constitution. The other two Acts limited Johnsons power to interfere with Congressional Reconstruction. The Command of the Army Act required Johnson to issue all military orders through the General of the Army (at that time General Ulysses S. Grant) instead of dealing directly with military governors in the South. The Tenure of Office Act required the consent of the Senate for the President to remove an officeholderShow MoreRelatedImpeachment of Andrew Johnson1606 Words   |  7 Pagesold-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. In 1857, Johnson was then elected to representRead MoreThe Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Essay874 Words   |  4 PagesThe Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Impeachment, in the United States and Great Britain proceeding by a legislature for the removal of office of a public official charged with misconduct in office. Impeachment compromises both the act of formulating the accusation and the resulting trial of charges; it is frequently but mistakenly taken to mean removal from office of an accused official. An impeachment trial may result in an acquittal or in a verdict of guilty. TheRead MoreThe Impeachment Proceedings Of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon And William Clinton1514 Words   |  7 Pages This assignment asks us to compare and contrast the impeachment proceedings of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and William Clinton, while identifying the ethical dilemmas presented by each. In addition, students are to categorize the ethical violations of each President by severity and discuss whether the actions by the Senate were politically motivated or ethical. The initial similarity obviously lies in the fact that these three gentlemen belong to a very small club of which they areRead MoreEssay about Andrew Johnson the 17th President1479 Words   |  6 PagesBackground Andrew Johnson, the 17th president, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 29th, 1808. At the young age of three years old, Andrews father. Jacob Johnson passed away while drowning in an attempt to save the life of Editor Henderson from the Raleigh Gazette in 1812. Andrews mother, Mary Johnson, worked hard as a seamstress and washerwoman in order to support Andrew and his three brothers, and her; but she was unable to afford to send them to school. From the age of 14 untilRead MoreEssay about Andrew Johnson1448 Words   |  6 Pages Background nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Andrew Johnson, the 17th president, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 29th, 1808. At the young age of three years old, Andrew’s father. Jacob Johnson passed away while drowning in an attempt to save the life of Editor Henderson from the Raleigh Gazette in 1812. Andrew’s mother, Mary Johnson, worked hard as a seamstress and washerwoman in order to support Andrew and his three brothers, and her; but she was unable to afford to send them to schoolRead More reconstruction Essay1028 Words   |  5 Pages Andrew Johnson took office after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was a Southern Democrat from Tennessee, when he became president, the Civil War had ended and reconstruction was in its beginning stages. Johnson was then faced with the same problems Lincoln had -- the challenge of mending a broken nation, yet there was a definite difference in the ways Johnson and Lincoln approached the problems of Reconstruction. Johns on was not one of our best or brightest presidents, he did notRead MoreChapter 22 Apush Key Terms1694 Words   |  7 Pages A United States federal law that was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War. The Act was enacted by Congress in 1865 but vetoed by President Andrew Johnson. In April 1866 Congress again passed the bill. Although Johnson again vetoed it, a two-thirds majority in each house overcame the veto and the bill became law. 15. Fourteenth Amendment Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the SupremeRead MorePresidential Impeachment Trials1835 Words   |  8 PagesPresidential Impeachment Trials Mandy White Legal Methods and Process LS 500-01 June 5, 2012 The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the impeachment trials of President Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton and identify any ethical dilemmas associated with each individual case and whether or not criminal chargers were appropriate or not. Before delving into the trials here is a brief description of what impeachment is and how theRead MoreTaking a Look at the Reconstruction Era1313 Words   |  5 Pagesthe civil war. At the time the civil war won the victory around 3 million slaves had their freedom. But their where still problem in rebuilding the nation. When president Abraham Lincoln died in April 14,1865. A new president was elected named Andrew Johnson under his supervision south state submit ‘’black codes’’ to control the attitude and behavior of all African Americans. During the reconstruction era the united stated faced many challenge in rebuilding the nation. Read MoreChapter 2 Review of Related Literature Sample1295 Words   |  6 PagesLITERATURE AND STUDIES FOREIGN STUDIES In its broadest sense, impeachment is the process by which public officials may be removed from office on the basis of their conduct. Strictly speaking, it is the decision by a legislature to accuse an official of one or more offenses that warrant removal according to constitutional standards. A vote to impeach then triggers a trial based on those charges. The most famous impeachment proceedings have involved presidents, but every state has its own procedures