IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON.   Term Paper ID:29947 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses Andrew Johnson as first American President to be impeached (he missed impeachment by a single vote).... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses Anddre Johnson as first American President to be impeached (he missed impeachment by a single vote). Johnson's political ideas. His importance in the aftermath of the Civil War. Conflicts between Congress and President Johnson. Cause of his impeachment as based in the political struggles between conservatives & radicals. Implications of Johnson's Presidency on the principle of the separation-of-powers. Paper Introduction: THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD AMERICAN PRESIDENT: ANDREW JOHNSON Most people, if they know anything at all about Andrew Johnson, know he was the first American President ever to be impeached, and that he missed it by only a single vote. In fact, the two books used for reference here, picture Johnson similarly, in lots of ways. First of all, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to successfully follow the appeal of the martyred Lincoln. Yet, he was not at all like Lincoln- not in personality, in attitude, nor in his devotion to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. In fact, he seemed to be not so much for the slaves as he was against their masters. “He had become an advocate of the small farmers against the privileges of the large planters. He also shared the racial attitudes of most white yeomen. ‘Damn the Negroes,’ he exclaimed to a friend Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. But Zinn makes no mention of this. Theyruled that wartime confiscation of property was not legal, and it would beheld only until the original owners could show proof of ownership.Abandoned land was taken by the government, paid for, and given- at verylow prices to freedmen. As a matter of fact, neither author really tells us much aboutJohnson, or even how he was nominated as Lincoln's vice-president. The radicals in Congress went on to pass theCivil Rights Act of 1866, which Johnson vetoed. As Zinn says: "Johnson vetoed bills to help Negroes;he made it easy for Confederate states to come back into the Union withoutguaranteeing equal rights for blacks." (Zinn 1995 194) For example, by vetoing many of the bills proposed byReconstructionists, Johnson, incurred the wrath of many legislators whosought to impose the heaviest possible penalties on the defeated South, andthe greatest commercial benefits on the victorious North and its supportersbelow the Mason Dixon Line. Thus, a Jacksonian Democrat became therunning mate for the Republican President, Lincoln. As Zinn writes: "Johnson clashed with Senatorsand Congressmen who, in some cases for reasons of justice, in others out ofpolitical calculation, supported equal rights and voting for the freedman. Johnson surely was not the most important person in the 19th century,but the Constitutional and political issues that he brought about- some ofit due to his own personality and his personal feelings, and others due tothe climate in government following the defeat of the South- makes thisperiod one of the most important legal issues of the Century. Norton & Co. But, the actual marginof victory was thin. Tindallcreates the scenario for the eventual impeachment action, "By the criticalyear, 1866, saw the gradual waning of Johnson's power and influence; muchof this was self-induced." (Tindall 1999 8 5) If we only read Zinn, wewould have no inkling of the specific background for impeachment. 'Damn the Negroes,' he exclaimed to afriend during the war. The nation,of course, survived, and thrived in the long run. B., and Shi, D E.: (1999): America: A Narrative HistoryNew York: W.W. But it was not that he was following the pathlaid out by Lincoln. WORKSCITED: Tindall, G. Johnson and his attorney-general alsomade sure that no Confederate property was unlawfully seized and held. Johnson was merely part of a"Crusade", Zinn seems to be saying. 8 1) wasapproaching a theory of "gradualism" for bringing the former slaves intothe mainstream of America. "He had become an advocate of the small farmersagainst the privileges of the large planters. What is not mentioned in either book is the fact that the pressures ofthe reconstructionists was so strong that there was simply no way forJohnson, or his few supporters, to stop what turned into the momentum of arunaway train. Lincoln-Johnson receiving 2.1 million votes, while theDemocrat, McClellan had about 1.8million. Basically the foundations for Johnson's impeachment were laid by thestruggles between conservatives and radicals. "The grant of citizenshipto native-born blacks, Johnson fumed, went beyond anything formerly held tobe within the scope of federal power. The radicals grew angrier andangrier as Johnson pardoned more and more Confederates "and replacedseveral district commanders whose Radical sympathies offended him."(Tindall 1999 81 ) The impeachment's key was in one of the articles of Impeachment, whichseemed the most credible one, and which, according to historians, actuallyviolated the Constitution: the Tenure of Office Act. Even Lincoln, as is pointed out by Tindall (p. As Tindall explains "by deciding the case on the narrowest grounds, theSenate made it unlikely that any future president could ever be removedexcept for the gravest offenses, and surely not for flouting the will ofCongress in executing the laws." (Tindall 1999 811) This was certainlyborne out by the attempted impeachment of President Clinton which nevereven got to the trial stage. But, a portion of these payments would be given tothe original owners of the land. One might note that, when U.S.Grant defeated him, he came back to Congress as a legislator fromTennessee. He was tried by the Senate in the spring of 1868,and was acquitted by one vote: 35 for guilty, 19 for not guilty. In 1864,as the Republicans re-nominated Lincoln, they nominated Johnson, who wasperhaps the most militant Unionist serving in the South, as vice president.It was, in a way, a reward for helping to pass a law in Tennessee whichabolished slavery in perpetuity. Zinn, H. The last straw forCongress was when Johnson allegedly violated that Act, by dismissingSecretary of War, Edwin M. THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD AMERICAN PRESIDENT: ANDREW JOHNSON Most people, if they know anything at all about Andrew Johnson, knowhe was the first American President ever to be impeached, and that hemissed it by only a single vote. First of all, it wouldhave been nearly impossible for anyone to successfully follow the appeal ofthe martyred Lincoln. There were four basic reasons for theimpeachment resolution: Reconstruction opposition, future control ofCongress, the Tenure of Office Act, and personal considerations bylegislators opposed to Johnson. What Tindall mentions, a very important action during this criticalperiod, was Congress, in 1868, "removing the power of the Supreme Court toreview cases arising under the law (the habeas Corpus Act), which Congressclearly had a right to do under its power to define the Court's appellatejurisdiction." (Tindall 1999 8 9) This information is surely somethingworth remembering, and even debating: Does this fall under the separationof powers? In fact, the two books used for referencehere, picture Johnson similarly, in lots of ways. But, again, itdemonstrated (as it has many times since) the various powers that thebranches of our government have in which they can get together, or fightone another. 'I am fighting those traitorous aristocrats, theirmasters" (Tindall 1999 799) Compared to Tindall, Zinn pays scant attention to Johnson- mentioninghim on only two pages of his thick book. Stanton. He also shared the racialattitudes of most white yeomen. Andrew Johnson's presidency seems to show that this separationof power is occasionally tenuous at best. Tindall ends his coverage of JOHNSON BYWRITING: "Impeachment of Johnson was in the end a great political mistake."(Tindall 1999 811). So, the House voted eleven articles ofimpeachment against him. "The American government had set out tofight the slave states in 1861, not to end slavery, but to retain theenormous territory and market and resources." (Zinn 1995 193) Yet, Johnsonwas far more important in the aftermath of the war than many historiansseem to give him credit for. Yet, he was not at all like Lincoln- not inpersonality, in attitude, nor in his devotion to a strict interpretation ofthe Constitution. It would moreover 'foment discordamong the races'." (Tindall 1999 8 5) However, even though he was a veryanti-Southern legislator and even as Vice-President, he attempted toprevent total disaster for the South. (1995) A People's History of the United States New York:HarperPerennial: In fact, he seemed to be not so much for the slaves as hewas against their masters. These men sought to get back at Johnson, and so he became the firstPresident to be impeached. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.