How Did Andrew Johnson Impeached

The Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson Reconstruction was one of the most pivotal events in American history. After the Civil War, politicians, social activists, and ordinary citizens had to adapt in order to mend back the Union. A predominately Radical Republican Congress during the Reconstruction era understood the vital nature of Reconstruction. Therefore, they were willing to remove anyone who was a roadblock into their efforts. Andrew Johnson was one of those men whose actions suggested that he didn’t care about changing the southern mindsets during the Reconstruction period. His actions resulted in him being one of the two presidents ever in United States History to be successfully impeached. Although, he was slightly acquitted
The ultimate reason why there was eventually a vote to bring Johnson on an impeachment trial was through his violation of the Tenure of Office Act which prohibited presidents from removing officials without the permission from the Senate. With a trial extremely likely, the courtroom had to be prepared. The trial managers, or prosecutors, in the trial would be the congressmen, John A. Bingham, George Boutwell, Benjamin F. Butler, John A. Logan. Thaddeus Stevens, Thomas Williams, and James F. Wilson. Those who be in the defense of Andrew Johnson would be Henry Stanbery, a former Attorney General, William M. Evarts, a New York attorney, Benjamin Robbin Curtis, a former justice on the Supreme Court, Thomas A.R. Nelson, a judge from Tennessee, and William S. Groesbeck, an attorney from Ohio. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase of the Supreme Court would preside over the trail and the Senate would serve as the jury. On March 30, 1868, the trial would
In the three hour speech given by Benjamin Butler, he argued that the violation of the Tenure of Office Act was indeed unconstitutional, that which eight of the eleven articles of impeachment covered, and that Johnson disrespected Congress in such a vile manner. Ever since the trial began, Republicans didn’t want it to be fair for Andrew Johnson because they were bent on seeing him being thrown out of the White House. In terms of evidence, some things that could have been used to defend Johnson were rejected. Ridiculously, imaginary evidence was also accepted. The jury was more focused on getting votes to remove Johnson than actual evidence and fairness. Salmon P. Chase wanted to have a fair trial. Although the Senate may have given it to him in the form of lip service at the start, this isn’t what was going. Many bribes were continuing to take place and testimonies from witnesses centered on what Johnson did in his private life such as his drinking habits. Despite of these things that the defense team was fully aware of, they had to do the best with what they had. The trial was actually postponed due to their pleas of getting more time to get evidence and witnesses. They eventually developed three main arguments. The first was that Johnson ought not to be removed from the presidency because the Office of Tenure Act didn’t cover Stanton because Lincoln’s term ended with his death and that Stanton