Andrew Johnson Impeachment Analysis

In the spring of 1868, America was focused on Congress to see if the President was going to be removed from office. Individuals were impeached and removed from office before, however, President Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached. Many have regarded Johnson as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States because of his racism, stubbornness, disastrous Reconstruction policies, and his impeachment trial. Johnson’s impeachment would be the defining point of his presidency and his legacy. This raises the numerous questions such as why was Johnson put on trial; what made Republicans hell-bent on impeaching him; and was Andrew Johnson’s impeachment justified. Johnson was not what the United States had expected;

Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial was not justified because of the unconstitutionality of the Tenure of Office Act and the extreme biases of the radicals in the Republican Party.

When current President Abraham Lincoln was running for reelection in 1864, he decided not to select Hannibal Hamlin as his vice president. Instead, Andrew Johnson was chosen because he was a man who was from a different political party who could help him restore the Union. While running in 1864, Lincoln and Johnson ran under the party name of the National Union to broaden their appeal. The assassination of President Lincoln would see Johnson become the seventeenth President of the United States. Lincoln’s assassination was part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate

The beginning of the speech went fairly well as he was honoring Washington, however, he ended up ridiculing Congress. President Johnson usually spoke harshly about Congress and his mouth had the tendency to get him in trouble. In his speech, Johnson said, “I find men I care not by what name you call them…who still stand opposed to the restoration of the Union of these States.” He later would call out Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, and Wendell Phillips for plotting his assassination. In his speech, Johnson said, “I say that I have no doubt the intention was to incite assassination, and so get out of the way the obstacle from place and power.” Thaddeus Stevens and the radical Republicans viewed Johnson’s speech as a declaration of war. Andrew Johnson was a man who was not afraid to speak out against Congress. During his term as president, he would attack, ridicule, and place the blame on Congress for simply disagreeing with