House of Representatives Impeaches Andrew Johnson

Context

Following the American Civil War, the United States faced the immense challenge of restoring the Union and defining the status of four million formerly enslaved people. President Andrew Johnson, who had succeeded the assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865, favored a lenient approach to the defeated South that allowed Southern states considerable autonomy in setting their own terms for readmission and limited federal protection for the rights of freed slaves. This stance clashed sharply with the Radical Republicans who dominated Congress after the 1866 elections. They sought stricter federal oversight, including military districts in the South, civil rights guarantees, and the disqualification of former Confederate leaders from office.

What Happened

Tensions escalated when Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867, requiring Senate approval for the president to remove certain executive officials. Johnson viewed the measure as an unconstitutional limit on his authority and tested it by suspending Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, a holdover from Lincoln’s cabinet who aligned with congressional Reconstruction goals. When the Senate refused to ratify the suspension in January 1868, Johnson moved on February 21 to appoint Lorenzo Thomas as acting secretary in Stanton’s place. Radical Republicans in the House, led by figures such as Thaddeus Stevens, swiftly responded. On February 24 the House voted 126 to 47 to impeach Johnson, adopting eleven articles that centered on his alleged violation of the Tenure of Office Act as well as charges of misconduct and bringing Congress into disrepute.

Aftermath

The Senate convened the trial on March 5, 1868, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. After weeks of testimony and argument, the critical vote on May 16 fell one short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction, with thirty-five senators voting guilty and nineteen not guilty. Subsequent votes on other articles produced the same margin, and the Senate adjourned without further action. Johnson remained in office for the remainder of his term but exercised diminished influence.

Legacy

The proceedings established that policy disagreements alone did not constitute removable offenses and reinforced the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. The trial procedures and evidentiary standards developed for the case shaped all subsequent presidential impeachments. Historians continue to view the episode as a pivotal moment that preserved the presidency from purely political removal while underscoring the deep sectional and ideological divisions that persisted long after the Civil War.