University:
Arizona State University
Course:
HST 200 | Historical Themes
Academic year:

2024
Views:

99

Pages:

2
Author:

Thuyoul US

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Era of Reconstruction, 1865–1877 The Impeachment Of President Johnson There was a severe divide in Washington, DC, as a result of President Johnson's constant vetoing of congressional initiatives, and neither he nor Congress would yield. Johnson's irritable demeanor proved to be a detriment since he was disliked by many. Furthermore, the president's racism put him at odds with those in Congress who wanted to achieve full equality between Black and White people. In his 1868 State of the Union address, he declared his firm belief in White supremacy, saying, "The attempt to place the White population under the domination of persons of color in the South has impaired, if not destroyed, the kindly relations that had previously existed between them; and mutual distrust has engendered a feeling of animosity which leading in some instances to collision and bloodshed, has prevented that cooperation between the two races so essential to the success of industrial enterprise in the southern states." By now the president was hated by the Republican majority in Congress, and they intended to keep him out of congressional Reconstruction. To that purpose, two laws questionably constitutional were passed by Radical Republicans. According to the Command of the Army Act, the president could only provide military commands through the army's commanding general, who could not be fired or transferred without the Senate's approval. The Senate had to provide its consent before the president could nominate or dismiss an official, according to the 1867 Tenure of Office Act. This measure was created by Congress in order to protect Republicans who supported radical reconstruction from being fired or denied employment opportunities. Without the Senate's consent, President Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in August 1867 because he had sided with the Radical Republicans. Ulysses S. Grant was appointed to succeed Stanton, but Grant quit and aligned himself with the Republicans in opposition to the president. Since Johnson had blatantly broken the Tenure of Office Act, many Radical Republicans applauded the president's error and used it as justification to take steps to remove Johnson from office. It wasn't long before the House of Representatives crafted the first impeachment resolution in American history. The Senate decides whether to remove the president from office during the impeachment process, while the House of Representatives functions as the prosecution (Figure 16.8). Eleven complaints were filed by the House against Johnson, all of which claimed that he had infringed upon Congress's authority. Johnson is a senator who barely made it. In favor of acquittal were seven Republicans in addition to Democrats and independents; the final result was 35 to 19, falling one vote short of the necessary two-thirds majority. After that, the Radicals gave up on trying to remove President Johnson from office, but the events had essentially silenced him, and the Radical Republicans went forward with their plan to rebuild the South.