ANDREW JOHNSON IMPEACHED
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives voted 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee.
Nine of the eleven articles related to Johnson's violation of the Tenure of Office Act by the removing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a radical who like many members of Congress opposed Johnson's reconstruction policies. Radical Republicans*, who wanted to punish the South for the rebellion against the Union, believed the President's policies were too lenient.
Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States in history to be impeached or charged with "high crimes and misdemeanors."** The Senate impeachment trial (March 1868 ) ended with Johnson's acquittal.
The final vote was 35 GUILTY, 19 NOT GUILTY, one vote shy of removal. 7 Republicans joined 12 Democrats to save Andrew Johnson's presidency.
*Radical Republicans (1854-1877) sought equality for African-Americans, free land for former slaves and voting rights for freedmen. They also wanted to hold the South accountable for the Civil War.
**Two other POTUS would be impeached. William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton was found not guilty and finished out his 2nd term. Donald John Trump was found not guilty and is on track to not only finish his 1st term, but to be renominated by his party for a 2nd.
JFK+50 NOTE
By requiring a two-thirds GUILTY vote in the U.S. Senate, the Founding Fathers made the removal of a POTUS a daunting task for House prosecutors. That is why, out of three impeachments, there have been no convictions.
After the most recent impeachment trial, in which every Senator save one in the charged president's party voted NOT GUILTY, a conviction in a future impeachment trial seems highly unlikely.
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives voted 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee.
Nine of the eleven articles related to Johnson's violation of the Tenure of Office Act by the removing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a radical who like many members of Congress opposed Johnson's reconstruction policies. Radical Republicans*, who wanted to punish the South for the rebellion against the Union, believed the President's policies were too lenient.
Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States in history to be impeached or charged with "high crimes and misdemeanors."** The Senate impeachment trial (March 1868 ) ended with Johnson's acquittal.
The final vote was 35 GUILTY, 19 NOT GUILTY, one vote shy of removal. 7 Republicans joined 12 Democrats to save Andrew Johnson's presidency.
*Radical Republicans (1854-1877) sought equality for African-Americans, free land for former slaves and voting rights for freedmen. They also wanted to hold the South accountable for the Civil War.
**Two other POTUS would be impeached. William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton was found not guilty and finished out his 2nd term. Donald John Trump was found not guilty and is on track to not only finish his 1st term, but to be renominated by his party for a 2nd.
JFK+50 NOTE
By requiring a two-thirds GUILTY vote in the U.S. Senate, the Founding Fathers made the removal of a POTUS a daunting task for House prosecutors. That is why, out of three impeachments, there have been no convictions.
After the most recent impeachment trial, in which every Senator save one in the charged president's party voted NOT GUILTY, a conviction in a future impeachment trial seems highly unlikely.
Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
United States Senate
