Overview March 16, 1868 April 15, 1865 Andrew Johnson takes over as President after assassination of...
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Transcript of Overview March 16, 1868 April 15, 1865 Andrew Johnson takes over as President after assassination of...
Overview
March 16, 1868
April 15, 1865Andrew Johnson takes
over as President after assassination of
President Lincoln.
Johnson impeachment trial takes place – avoids removal by
one vote.
The 17th President, Andrew
Johnson, becomes the the
FIRST U.S. President to be
impeached in 1868.
Johnson was in office just under
THREE years when the House of
Representatives formally
brought impeachment charges.
April 15, 1865
Johnson becomes President of the United States upon the death of President
Abraham Lincoln
- Even though Lincoln’s Vice President, Johnson was a
Southerner (from Tennessee) and was a Democrat (unlike Lincoln).
- Owned slaves prior to war
- “He held no views on race that could be considered
‘unorthodox’ in the South.”
Late-April, 1865
In spite of strong opposition from Republicans in Congress, Johnson keeps
Lincoln’s cabinet in tact.
War: Edwin Stanton
Treasury: Salmon Chase,Hugh McCulloch
Attorney General: Edward Bates,James Speed
Navy:Gideon Welles
StateWilliam Seward
InteriorCaleb SmithJohn Usher
Postmaster General:Montgomery BlairWilliam Dennison
- Republicans in Congress hoped Johnson would be tougher on the South than Lincoln was.
- After he kept Lincoln’s cabinet, Congress started to oppose him.
May 29, 1865
Johnson issues his Proclamation of Amnesty, which proposes his plan for
Reconstruction. He does this while Congress is not in session…on purpose.
- There had been an ongoing struggle between the Executive
and Legislative branches of government over who would
direct Reconstruction.
- By issuing his plan when Congress was not in
session, it made it clear to the public who was in
charge…
an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses
December, 1865
Radical Republicans in Congress refuse to seat those elected from rebel states
- Cite election fraud/abuse in Southern states
- Radicals in Congress advocate a Congressional-takeover of Reconstruction
February 19, 1866
President Johnson vetoes a bill to increase funding for, and extends, Freedman’s
Bureau.
- Many in Congress begin to rise up and stop Johnson’s
efforts to dismantle Reconstruction
- Congress eventually overrides veto
February 22, 1866
Johnson gives a speech on George Washington’s
birthday, calling radicals in Congress “dis-unionists.”
- Speech delivered one day after Congress overrides veto
- Johnson called out many Congressmen by name; accused them of being
disloyal to Union
March 27, 1866
Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Bill. This bill extended citizenship to “all persons born in the United States…of every race and color…without
regard to previous condition of servitude.”
- Congress overrides the veto 3 weeks later
- But, Congress worried the act wouldn’t survive future
Congresses.
- Resolutions are brought forward in Congress that would later become the
14th Amendment.
May, 1866
Tensions heighten between the President and Congress due to race riots in Memphis, TN.
- Conflict between black soldiers and white peace
officers leads to death of 46 men, women, and children;
4 black churches and 12 schools burned.
- Pushes public opinion closer toward the Radical
Republican plan for Reconstruction.
July, 1866
Race riots take place in New Orleans, LA.
- Riots are cited as evidence that the
President’s “Proclamation of
Amnesty and Reconstruction” was not working.
August, 1866
To save his plan (and his image) Johnson travels across the country, delivers famous “Swing
Around the Circle” speeches
- Intended to garner support for those in
Congress who supported his plan
before the mid-term elections.
- Speeches viewed as ineffective.
- Johnson continues to label the Radicals in Congress as
“dis-unionists.”
November, 1866
Radicals win many victories in the 1866 mid-term elections – gain majorities of over two-thirds in
each branch of Congress.
Radicals believed themselves to be in a good
position to demand that Southern states accept
the proposed 14th amendment.
What does this mean, if the
Radicals now have over 2/3
support in each side of
Congress?
March 2, 1867
The new Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act. Johnson vetoes the act, but is quickly overridden by the new Congress (remember, radicals have 2/3 majority in both sides).
- Divides the south into 5 military districts to enforce a
stricter Reconstruction policy.
- Required states ratify the 14th Amendment before it
could be readmitted or have its representatives seated in
Congress
- Firmly placed control of Reconstruction into the hands of Congress, not
the President.
March 2, 1867
Congress overrides Johnson’s veto of the Tenure of Office Act.
- Required Senate approval before the
President could dismiss any government official
who was originally approved by the Senate (including members of
the cabinet)
- Done to protect Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton,
since he was supporter of Radical agenda
- Law eventually struck down in 1926 as unconstitutional!
August 12, 1867
Johnson temporarily suspends Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and replaces him with General Ulysses S.
Grant. Congress is out of session at the time.
- Oh, snap! Is this legal?
January, 1868
The Senate votes when they return and they do not consent to removing Stanton.
- Johnson ignores Senate vote and presents Stanton
with formal dismissal
- This was a flagrant violation of the Tenure of Office Act, and sufficient grounds for
impeachment.
February 24, 1868
Impeachment charges filed against Johnson by the House of Representatives.
- 9 of 11 charges are on violation of Tenure of
Office Act
- The remaining 2 charges dealt with his libelous
speech against members of Congress.
Libel: published false statements that are damaging to one’s character
March 30, 1868
The Senate begins the first ever impeachment trial of a U.S. president.
- While a president who is found guilty can remain
in office, most Americans agreed that if found guilty then he had to
leave.
May 16, 1868
The Senate fails to convict Johnson of the impeachment by only one vote.
- Andrew Johnson was acquitted of all charges
filed in the impeachment.
acquit: free someone from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty.
- A later Supreme Court (1926;
Myers vs. United States) ruling that the Tenure of Office Act
was “invalid.”
- Johnson had the power to dismiss Stanton all along!
The aftermath of
Johnson’s
impeachment?- Vetoed virtually every act of Congress through
the remainder of his term and Congress
continued to override him- Could not secure the
Democratic nomination for President in 1868 (Horatio Seymour got
it!)
- Replaced by Ulysses S Grant in 1868
Johnson was the
only President
to be
impeached until
the 1998
impeachment of
Bill Clinton. The
only two
presidents to be
impeached were
both acquitted!