Impeachment of President Johnson and Failure of Reconstruction After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson became president on April 15, 1865. The end of Civil War had given freedom to many slaves. However, the progression of reforming the South during the Reconstruction period brought completely new challenges. On May 29, 1865, Johnson announced his plans for Reconstruction which was a huge disappointment for the Radical Republicans. When it came to Johnson, it was clear for Radical Republicans that he clearly favored for the former slaveholders rather than the former slaves. Therefore, Johnson’s announcement for Reconstruction was a huge disappointment for the Radical Republicans. Under the administration of President Andrew …show more content…
Johnson opposed the Act and tried to remove Stanton — in direct violation of the Tenure of Office Act (Ushistory.org, n.d.). The House of Representatives formally impeached him on February 24 by a vote of 126 to 47. They charged him with violation of the Tenure of Office Act and bringing into "disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach the Congress of the United States." Johnson's trial began on March 4th and continued for 11 grueling weeks and Johnson was acquitted by a single vote at the end (WGBH American,
Andrew Johnson Jense Mercado Andrew Johnson was born in december 29,1808 in Raleigh,NC.He later then died in July 31, 1875 in Elizabethton TN.His political party was democratic, his presidential term was from April 15, 1864 to March 4 ,1868.Bill Clinton was the only other president to get impeached, he was impeached by the House Of Representative but acquitted by the Senate. Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. Bill Clinton was impeached on two charges perjury and obstruction of justice. Clinton lied under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky but that was not the ground of the impeachment. Impeachment is a formal process in wich an official are accused of unlawful activity,the outcome of which depending on the country.
With the assassination of president Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, a Southern democrat, came into office. Despite being staunchly pro-Union and anti-secession, Johnson's approach to reconstruction seemed far less attractive, perhaps due to the fact that he was a slave owner. Following Johnson's entrance, moderates and radicals formed an alliance for arguably two decisive reasons: both groups shared a parallel distrust and disliking for Johnson, and Johnson's measures seemed far too sparing in his efforts of reconciliation with Southern states. Moreover, during Johnson's presidency, Northerners recognized a South that had once again become unruly, which many believed was a result of the lenient tendencies that Johnson approached reconstruction with.
The traditional view on Reconstruction labeled it as a terrible point in the democracy of America. According to this view, Andrew Johnson, like Abraham Lincoln, wished to pardon the Confederates and reunite them with the Union. Radical Republicans, who wished to dominate the South, disposed of Johnson’s plan and gave power to former slaves, carpetbaggers, and southern whites who cooperated with the Republican Party of the North, all of which were unfit to lead southern governments. In the end, this angered many in the South, including the Ku Klux Klan, who claimed patriotism to restore white supremacy. With this take on the Reconstruction in mind, it is hard to see how Lincoln would have made a difference in the events that occurred.
Before the impeachment, there had been tension between President Andrew Johnson and republicans in Congress over the implementation of the Reconstruction Act. In 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson for his “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Explicitly, the House claimed that President Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act by replacing the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton with Ulysses Grant. In the Senate trial, Johnson escaped conviction by just one vote. Tulis argues that Congress had difficulty finding a strictly legal violation, although Johnson’s misconduct has violated his presidential duty multiple times by abusing his power and ignoring the legislature.
By all means, Johnson was nothing like his predecessor, did not encourage
Andrew Johnson, former Vice President to President Abraham Lincoln, was sworn into office after the assassination of Lincoln in April of 1865. Andrew Johnson served as the 17th President of the United Stated from 1865-1869. Johnson, seemingly an honest and righteous man had every odd up against him including the Radical Republicans. He had no chance when up against the jurisdiction of the Radicals and fell short of dominion every time. Johnson’s reign was one of the few compelling presidency’s due to his continuous mix-ups and battles with the Radicals.
A few days after the civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated and never had the chance to implement his Reconstruction plan. The Reconstruction Era occurred in the period of 1865 to 1877 under the reign of President Andrew Johnson who was the predecessor of President Lincoln. Congress was not scheduled to convene until December 1865, which gave Johnson eight months to pursue his own Reconstruction policies. Under his Reconstruction policies, the former Confederate states were required to join back into the Union and heal the wounds of the nation.
As shown Andrew Johnson had many personal issues and things that he disliked about the Reconstruction plan and the rights that were being given to Blacks. His opinions are mainly what made him a limited leader and not very likable by the standards of most of the American people. The mindset and the way that people saw Johnson started to change in a bad way, once they saw how he truly felt. His thoughts on civil rights and political rights contradicted those of Lincoln’s which were embraced by many across the nation. Rules and regulations that Abraham Lincoln had wanted and designed were edited for the worse.
When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865 his vice president, Andrew Johnson, was sworn into office, the first time ever a president had to take office because of the previous president being murdered. Andrew Johnson was a democrat, so he had major challenges when he took office. It didn’t help either that he was from Tennessee, a state that seceeded fromt the Union during the Civil War. In an effort to try and make friends in Congress with the Republicans Johnson agreed to deny representitives from southern states that seceeded from the Union to sit in Congress. This came to back fire on him because he was from Tennessee but because he elected to help the North during the Civil War the southern state representitives didn’t support him at all.
Commencing on the fifth day of March in 1868, the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth President of the United States, was conducted before the Senate. Johnson's policies on Reconstruction after the Civil War had incited clashes with the Republican-dominated Congress, leading to accusations of his infringement upon the Tenure of Office Act. This law prohibited the President from discharging certain officeholders without the concurrence of the Senate. Johnson had dismissed Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, a Lincoln appointee who endorsed Radical Reconstruction, and in his stead, installed his own confidant, Lorenzo Thomas.
First, he forgave ex-Confederate officials and began fighting with the Republican Congress about Civil Rights. The Congress refused to accept the ex-Confederate officials and the new laws and codes they proposed in 1865. Andrew Johnson apposed and vetoed both the Civil Rights bill and the Freedman’s Bureau bill in 1866 hoping to bring the Southern States back into the union. This only created more distrust and fighting with the majority republicans in the Congress. Andrew Johnson did all these things, and his presidency ended before he expected.
Reconstruction is the time period after the Civil War, where the country attempted to improve the Union. There were many successes, but what also comes along with success is failure. During the reconstruction many failures were present; such as the lack of racial equality and blatant racism towards blacks, a failing economy in the South, and tense relations between the North and the South. This created a very intense and challenging period of time for the Union.
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Malik Muhammad On April 15, 1865 at Fords Theater President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Andrew Johnson was then elected as the 17th President. After Lincoln's death, Andrew Johnson proceeded to reconstruct the former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865. When Congress met in December 1865 most Southern States were reconstructed, slavery was abolished, black codes were beginning to come out.
Johnson was not what the United States had expected;
Reconstruction a Failure or Success? Throughout the years, America has gone through many different political changes. Many presidents selected with different plans for our future. Sadly, many of those objectives have failed or came to an end.