SHOULD JOHNSON HAVE
BEEN IMPEACHED?
by Tyler Demmerle
ANDREW JOHNSON
Johnson was the 17th president of
the United States
He was born in in 1808 in Raleigh,
North Carolina, and did not have
the best childhood.
He never attended a single day of
school throughout his childhood,
yet at the age of 21 he got involved
in politics.
He served as a Senator before he
became Lincoln’s Vice President.
JOHNSON BECOMES
PRESIDENT
In 1864, Johnson became Abraham Lincoln’s Vice
President and had a main concern for
Reconstruction after the Civil War.
In 1865, Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew
Johnson took his place as president.
Johnson tried following the goals of Lincoln saying
that any state could be readmitted to the United
States if people took an oath and lied about saying
they were never in the Confederacy.
He said he would return all property except slaves
to the south because he never considered slaves
property. He believed that blacks had less “capacity
for government” than the common white man.
TROUBLES WITH
JOHNSON
Congress at the time created Freeman's
Bureau which made Congress help
slaves get back on their feet after the
war, make them capable of getting jobs
and financially helping them as well.
A Civil Rights Bill was also passed
saying that blacks were issued as
citizens and discriminatory laws were
illegal. Johnson however vetoed both.
In 1867, he vetoed First Reconstruction
Act which stated how Confederate
states have to re-write their
Constitution giving blacks the right to
vote.
Since he kept vetoing all the bills that
past his desk. Congress overrode
Johnson’s veto which made martial
rule in the south
IMPEACHMENT
Impeachment itself is when a president or
government official is accused of wrong
doing. He can be removed from office if
found guilty by Congress.
The Tenure of Office Act was instated in
1868 saying that the president was not
aloud to take someone out of their
legislative power without consent of
Congress.
Johnson, however, violated this act by
taking out Edwin Stanton from Secretary
of War because he felt he wasn’t doing as
good as a job that he could have.
TRIAL
After violating the Tenure of Office
Act, Johnson was impeached by the
House of Representatives.
Johnson was accused of vetoing 20
Reconstruction Bills and firing the
Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton
when the Tenure of Office Act was
instated.
The House voted 35 to 19 which
was short 2/3 vote of having him
convicted and kicked out of the
White House.
His argument was that since Staton
was instated when Lincoln was
president, the Act didn't cover him
and Johnson was found not guilty.
SHOULD HE HAVE BEEN
IMPEACHED OR NOT?
I believe Johnson should have been kicked
out of the White House for firing his own
Secretary of War. The Tenure of Office Act
was instated at the time and he still chose
to disobey Congressional orders. Some
say he sought out vindication for the rest
of his life and tried running again later on
in his life, but failed because of his first
presidency.
I believe he was too much of a push over
during his term with reuniting the South
and the North. Southerners of the
Confederation were aloud to seek pardon
directly from Johnson himself.
He was too easy in giving people their
freedom and power back into the Union
so therefore I don’t think he should have
been president to begin with.
WORK CITED
"The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ." Digital History . 2006. 28 May
2009 <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?
HHID=134>.
"Andrew Johnson's Impeachment", Ohio History Central, July 1, 2005,
<http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=509>