|
President Andrew Johnson Impeachment
|
| "Mr. President, (of the Senate), in obedience to the order
of the House of Representatives, we appear before you, and in the name of the House of Representatives and all of the people
of the United States we do impeach Andrew Johnson, President of the United States of high crimes and misdemeanors in office." | | |
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE
SITTING FOR
THE TRIAL OF ANDREW JOHNSON
PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES
On Articles of Impeachment exhibited by the
House of Representatives
On Monday, February the 24th, 1868, the House of Representatives
of the Congress of the United States resolved to impeach Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors, of which the Senate was apprised and arrangements were
made for the trial. On Monday the 2d of March, articles of impeachment were agreed upon by the House of Representatives,
and on the 4th they were presented to the Senate by the managers on the part of the House, who were accompanied by the House,
the grand inquest of the nation, as a Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union. Mr. BINGHAM, chairman of the
managers, read the articles as follows:
Articles exhibited by the House of Representatives of
the United States, in the name of themselves and all the people of the United States, against Andrew Johnson, President of
the United States, in maintenance and support of their impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.
ARTICLE I.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the
United States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord, 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful
of the high duties of his office, of his oath of office, and of the requirement of the Constitution that he should take care
that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully and in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States issue
and order in writing for the removal of Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary for the Department of War, said Edwin
M. Stanton having been theretofore duly appointed and commissioned, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the
United States, as such Secretary, and said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 12th day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1867, and during the recess of said Senate, having been suspended by his order Edwin M. Stanton from said
office, and within twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of said Senate, that is to say, on the 12th day of
December, in the year last aforesaid, having reported to said Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his
action in the case and the name of the person designated to perform the duties of such office temporarily until the next meeting
of the Senate, and said Senate there afterward, on the 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1868, having duly considered
the evidence and reasons reported by said Andrew Johnson for said suspension, and having been refused to concur in said suspension,
whereby and by force of the provisions of an act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices," passed
March 2, 1867, said Edwin M. Stanton did forthwith resume the functions of his office, whereof the said Andrew Johnson had
then and there due notice, and said Edwin Stanton, by reason of the premises, on said 21st day of February, being lawfully
entitled to hold said office of Secretary for the Department of War, which said order for the removal of said Edwin M. Stanton
is, in substance, as follows, that is to say:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21, 1868 SIR: By virtue of the power and authority vested in me, as President
by the Constitution and laws of the United States, you are hereby removed from the office of Secretary for the Department
of War, and your functions as such will terminate upon receipt of their communication. You will transfer to Brevet Major-General
L. Thomas, Adjutant-General of the Army, who has this day been authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad interim,
all books, paper and other public property now in your custody and charge.
Respectfully yours, ANDREW JOHNSON.Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War
Which order was unlawfully issued, and with intent then
are there to violate the act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil office," passed March 2, 1867; and, with
the further intent contrary to the provisions of said act, and in violation thereof, and contrary to the provisions of the
Constitution of the United States, and without the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, the said Senate
then and there being in session, to remove said Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary for the Department of War, the
said Edwin M. Stanton being then and there Secretary of War, and being then and there in the due and lawful execution
of the duties of said office, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then and there commit, and
was guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE II.
That on the 21st day of February, in the
year of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, unmindful
of the high duties of his office, of his oath of office, and in violation of the Constitution of the United States, and contrary
to the provisions of an act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices," passed March 2, 1867, without
the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, said Senate then and there being in session, and without authority
of law, did, with intent to violate the Constitution of the United States and the act aforesaid, issue and deliver to one
Lorenzo Thomas a letter of authority, in substance as follows, that is to say:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21, 1868 SIR: The Hon. Edwin M. Stanton having been this day removed from
office as Secretary for the Department of War, you are hereby authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad
interim, and will immediately enter upon the discharge of the duties pertaining to that office.
Mr. Stanton has been instructed to transfer to you all the records, books, papers and other public property now in his custody
and charge.
Respectfully yours, ANDREW JOHNSONTo
Brevet Major-General Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General United States Army, Washington, D.C.
then and there being no vacancy in said office of Secretary
for the Department of War: whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then and there commit, and
was guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE III.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868, at Washington in the District of Columbia, did commit, and was
guilty of a high misdemeanor in office, in this, that, without authority of law, while the Senate of the United States was
then and there in session, he did appoint one Lorenzo Thomas to be Secretary for the Department of War, ad interim,
without the advice and consent of the Senate, and with intent to violate the Constitution of the United States, no vacancy
having happened in said office of Secretary for the Department of War during the recess of the Senate, and no vacancy existing
in said office at the time, and which said appointment so made by Andrew Johnson, of said Lorenzo Thomas is in substance as
follows, that is to say:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21, 1868 SIR: The Hon. Edwin M. Stanton having been this day removed from
office as Secretary for the Department of War, you are hereby authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad
interim, and will immediately enter upon the discharge of the duties pertaining to that office.
Mr. Stanton has been instructed to transfer to you all the records, books, papers and other public property now in his custody
and charge.
Respectfully yours, ANDREW JOHNSONTo
Brevet Major-General Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General United States Army, Washington, D.C.
ARTICLE IV.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
unmindful of the high duties of his office, and of his oath of office, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United
States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully
conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas, and with other persons to the House of Representatives unknown, with intent by intimidation
and threats unlawfully to hinder and prevent Edwin M. Stanton, then and there, the Secretary for the Department of War, duly
appointed under the laws of the United States, from holding said office of Secretary for the Department of War, contrary to
and in violation of the Constitution of the United States, and of the provisions of an act entitled "An act to define and
punish certain conspiracies," approved July 31, 1861, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then
and there commit and was guilty of high crime in office.
ARTICLE V.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, on the 21st of February, in the year of our Lord 1868,
and on divers others days and time in said year before the 2d day of March, A.D. 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia,
did unlawfully conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas, and with other persons in the House of Representatives unknown, to prevent
and hinder the execution of an act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil office," passed March 2, 1867,
and in pursuance of said conspiracy, did attempt to prevent Edwin M. Stanton, then and there being Secretary for the Department
of War, duly appointed and commissioned under the laws of the United States, from holding said office, whereby the said Andrew
Johnson, President of the United States, did then and there commit and was guilty of high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE VI.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, on the 21st day of February, in the year of
our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas, by force to seize,
take, and possess the property of the United Sates in the Department of War, and then and there in the custody and charge
of Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary for said Department, contrary to the provisions of an act entitled "An act to define and punish
certain conspiracies," approved July 31, 1861, and with intent to violate and disregard an act entitled "An act regulating
the tenure of certain civil offices," passed March 2, 1867, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did
then and there commit a high crime in office.
ARTICLE VII.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
unmindful of the high duties of his office, and of his oath of office, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord
1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas with intent unlawfully to
seize, take, and possess the property of the United States in the Department of War, in the custody and charge of Edwin
M. Stanton, Secretary of said Department, with intent to violate and disregard the act entitled "An act regulating the tenure
of certain civil offices," passed March 2, 1867, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then and
there commit a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE VIII.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, with intent unlawfully to control the disbursements
of the moneys appropriated for the military service and for the Department of War, on the 21st day of February, in the year
of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully and contrary to the provisions of an act entitled
"An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices," passed March 2, 1867, and in violation of the Constitution of the
United States, and without the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, and while the Senate was then and there
in session, there being no vacancy in the office of Secretary for the Department of War, with intent to violate and disregard
the act aforesaid, then and there issue and deliver to one Lorenzo Thomas a letter of authority in writing, in substance as
follows, that is to say:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21, 1868 SIR: The Hon. Edwin M. Stanton having been this day removed from
office as Secretary for the Department of War, you are hereby authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad
interim, and will immediately enter upon the discharge of the duties pertaining to that office.
Mr. Stanton has been instructed to transfer to you all the records, books, papers and other public property now in his custody
and charge.
Respectfully yours, ANDREW JOHNSONTo
Brevet Major-General Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General United States Army, Washington, D.C.
Whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
did then and there commit and was guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE IX
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
on the 22nd day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, in disregard of the
Constitution and the laws of the United States, duly enacted, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United States,
did bring before himself, then and there William H. Emory, a Major-General by brevet in the Army of the United States,
actually in command of the department of Washington, and the military forces thereof, and did and there, as such Commander-in-Chief,
declare to, and instruct said Emory, that part of a law of the United States, passed March 2, 1867, entitled "An act
for making appropriations for the support of the army for the year ending June 30, 1868, and for other purposes," especially
the second section thereof, which provides, among other things, that "all orders and instructions relating to military operations
issued by the President or Secretary of War, shall be issued through the General of the Army, and, in case of his inability,
through the next in rank," was unconstitutional, and in contravention of the commission of said Emory, and which
said provision of law had been theretofore duly and legally promulgated by general order for the government and direction
of the Army of the United States, as the said Andrew Johnson then and there well knew, with intent thereby to induce said
Emory, in his official capacity as Commander of the department of Washington, to violate the provisions of said act, and to
take and receive, act upon and obey such orders as he, the said Andrew Johnson, might make and give, and which should not
be issued through the General of the Army of the United States, according to the provisions of said act, and with the further
intent thereby to enable him, the said Andrew Johnson, to prevent the execution of an act entitled "An act regulating the
tenure of certain civil offices," passed March 2, 1867, and to unlawfully prevent Edwin M. Stanton, then being Secretary for
the Department of War, from holding said office and discharging the duties thereof, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President
of the United States, did then and there commit, and was guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE X.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States,
unmindful of the high duties of his office and the dignity and proprieties thereof, and of the harmony and courtesies which
ought to exist and be maintained between the executive and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, designing
and intending to set aside the rightful authorities and powers of Congress, did attempt to bring into disgrace, ridicule,
hatred, contempt and reproach the Congress of the United States, and the several branches thereof, to impair and destroy the
regard and respect of all the good people of the United States for the Congress and legislative power thereof, (which all
officers of the government ought inviolably to preserve and maintain,) and to excite the odium and resentment of all good
people of the United States against Congress and the laws by it duly and constitutionally enacted; and in pursuance of his
said design and intent, openly and publicly and before divers assemblages of citizens of the United States, convened in divers
parts thereof, to meet and receive said Andrew Johnson as the Chief Magistrate of the United States, did, on the 18th day
of August, in the year of our Lord 1866, and on divers other days and times, as well before as afterward, make and declare,
with a loud voice certain intemperate, inflammatory, and scandalous harangues, and therein utter loud threats and bitter menaces,
as well against Congress as the laws of the United States duly enacted thereby, amid the cries, jeers and laughter of the
multitudes then assembled in hearing, which are set forth in the several specifications hereinafter written, in substance
and effect, that it to say:
Specification First. In this, that at Washington,
in the District of Columbia, in the Executive Mansion, to a committee of citizens who called upon the President of the United
States, speaking of and concerning the Congress of the United States, heretofore, to wit: On the 18th day of August,
in the year of our Lord, 1866, in a loud voice, declare in substance and effect, among other things, that is to say:
"So far as the Executive Department of the government is concerned, the effort has been made to restore
the Union, to heal the breach, to pour oil into the wounds which were consequent upon the struggle, and, to speak in a common
phrase, to prepare, as the learned and wise physician would, a plaster healing in character and co-extensive with the wound.
We thought and we think that we had partially succeeded, but as the work progresses, as reconstruction seemed to be taking
place, and the country was becoming reunited, we found a disturbing and moving element opposing it. In alluding to that element
it shall go no further than your Convention, and the distinguished gentleman who has delivered the report of the proceedings,
I shall make no reference that I do not believe, and the time and the occasion justify.
"We have witnessed
in one department of the government every endeavor to prevent the restoration of peace, harmony and union. We have seen hanging
upon the verge of the government, as it were, a body called or which assumes to be the Congress of the United States, while
in fact it is a Congress of only part of the States. We have seen this Congress pretend to be for the Union, when its every
step and act tended to perpetuate disunion and make a disruption of States inevitable.
"We have seen
Congress gradually encroach, step by step, upon constitutional rights, and violate day after day, and month after month, fundamental
principles of the government. We have seen a Congress that seemed to forget that there was a limit to the sphere and scope
of legislation. We have seen a Congress in a minority assume to exercise power which, if allowed to be consummated, would
result in despotism or monarchy itself."
Specification Second. In this, that at Cleveland,
in the State of Ohio, heretofore to wit: On the third day of September, in the year of our Lord, 1866, before a public assemblage
of citizens and others, said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, speaking of and concerning the Congress of the
United States, did, in a loud voice, declare in substance and effect, among other things, that is to say:
“I will tell you what I did do? I called upon your Congress that is trying to break up the Government."
* * * *
* * * * * * *
* "In conclusion, beside that Congress had taken
much pains to poison the constituents against him, what has Congress done? Have they done anything to restore the union of
the States? No: On the contrary, they had done everything to prevent it: and because he stood now where he did when the rebellion
commenced, he had been denounced as a traitor. Who had run greater risks or made greater sacrifices than himself? But
Congress, factions and domineering, had undertaken to poison
the minds of the American people."
Specification Third. In this case, that at
St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, heretofore to wit: On the 8th day of September, in the year of our Lord 1866, before
a public assemblage of citizens and others, said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, speaking of acts concerning
the Congress of the United States, did, in a loud voice, declare in substance and effect, among other things, that is to say:
"Go on, perhaps if you had a word or two on the subject of New Orleans you might understand more about
it than you do, and if you will go back and ascertain the cause of the riot at New Orleans, perhaps you will not be
so prompt in calling out "New Orleans." If you will take up the riot of New Orleans and trace it back to its source and its
immediate cause, you will find out who was responsible for the blood that was shed there. If you will take up the riot at
New Orleans and trace it back to the Radical Congress, you will find that the riot at New Orleans was substantially planned.
If you will take up the proceedings in their caucuses you will understand that they knew that a convention was to be called
which was extinct by its powers having expired; that it was said that the intention was that a new government was to be organized,
and on the organization of that government the intention was to enfranchise one portion of the population, called the colored
population, and who had been emancipated, and at the same time disfranchise white men. When you design to talk about New Orleans
you ought to understand what you are talking about. When you read the speeches that were made, and take up the facts on the
Friday and Saturday before that convention sat, you will find that speeches were made incendiary in their character, exciting
that portion of the population? the black population? to arm themselves and prepare for the shedding of blood. You will also
find that convention did assemble in violation of law, and the intention of that convention was to supersede the organized
authorities in the State of Louisiana, which had been organized by the government of the United States, and every man engaged
in that rebellion, in the convention, with the intention of superseding and upturning the civil government which had been
recognized by the Government of the United States, I say that he was a traitor to the Constitution of the United States, and
hence you find that another rebellion was commenced, having its origin in the Radical Congress.
* * * *
* * * * * * *
* "So much for the New Orleans riot. And there
was the cause and the origin of the blood that was shed, and every drop of blood that was shed is upon their skirts and they
are responsible. I could test this thing a little closer, but will not do it here to-night. But when you talk about the causes
and consequences that resulted from proceedings of that kind, perhaps, as I have been introduced here and you have provoked
questions of this kind, though it does not provoke me, I will tell you a few wholesome things that have been done by this
Radical Congress in connection with New Orleans and the extension of the elective franchise.
" I know that
I have been traduced and abused. I know it has come in advance of me here, as elsewhere, that I have attempted to exercise
an arbitrary power in resisting laws that were intended to be forced upon the government; that I had exercised that power;
that I had abandoned the party that elected me, and that I was a traitor, because I exercised the veto power in attempting,
and did arrest for a time, that which was called a "Freedmen’s Bureau" bill. Yes, that I was a traitor. And I have been
traduced; I have been slandered; I have been maligned; I have been called Judas Iscariot, and all that. Now, my countrymen,
here to-night, it is very easy to indulge in epithets; it is easy to call a man a Judas, and cry out traitor, but when he
is called upon to give arguments and facts he is very often found wanting. Judas Iscariot? Judas! There was a Judas, and he
was one of the twelve Apostles. O, yes, the twelve Apostles had a Christ, and he never could have had a Judas unless he had
twelve Apostles. If I have played the Judas who has been my Christ that I have played the Judas with? Was it Thad. Stevens?
Was it Wendell Phillips? Was it Charles Sumner? They are the men that stop and compare themselves with the Savior, and everybody
that differs with them in opinion, and tries to stay and arrest their diabolical and nefarious policy is to be denounced as
a Judas."
* * * *
* * * * * * *
* "Well, let me say to you, if you will stand
by me in this action, if you will stand by me in trying to give the people a fair chance? soldiers and citizens? to participate
in these office, God be willing, I will kick them out. I will kick them out just as fast as I can.
"Let me say to you, in concluding, that what I have said is what I intended to say; I was not provoked into this, and care
not for their menaces, the taunts and the jeers. I care not for threats, I do not intend to be bullied by enemies, nor erawed
by my friends. But, God willing, with your help, I will veto their measures whenever any of them come to me."
Which said utterances, declarations, threats and harangues, highly censurable in any, are peculiarly indecent and unbecoming
in the Chief Magistrate of the United States, by means whereof the said Andrew Johnson has brought the high office of the
President of the United States into contempt, ridicule and disgrace, to the great scandal of all good citizens, whereby said
Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did commit, and was then and there guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.
ARTICLE XI.
That the said Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States, unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, and in disregard of
the Constitution and laws of the United States, did, heretofore, to wit: On the 18th day of August, 1866, at the city of Washington,
and in the District of Columbia, by public speech, declare and affirm in substance, that the Thirty-Ninth Congress of the
United States was not a Congress of the United States authorized by the Constitution to exercise legislative power under the
same; but, on the contrary, was a Congress of only part of the States, thereby denying and intending to deny, that the legislation
of said Congress was valid or obligatory upon him, the said Andrew Johnson, except in so far as he saw fit to approve the
same, and also thereby denying the power of the said Thirty-Ninth Congress to propose amendments to the Constitution of the
United States. And in pursuance of said declaration, the said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, afterwards,
to wit: On the 21st day of February, 1868, at the city of Washington, D.C., did, unlawfully and in disregard of the requirements
of the Constitution that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, attempt to prevent the execution of an
act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil office," passed March 2, 1867, by unlawfully devising and contriving
and attempting to devise and contrive means by which he should prevent Edwin M. Stanton from forthwith resuming the functions
of the office of Secretary for the Department of War, notwithstanding the refusal of the Senate to concur in the suspension
therefore made by the said Andrew Johnson of said Edwin M. Stanton from said office of Secretary for the Department of War;
and also by further unlawfully devising and contriving, and attempting to devise and contrive, means then and there to prevent
the execution of an act entitled "An act making appropriations for the support of the army for the fiscal year ending June
30,1868, and for other purposes," approved March 2, 1867. And also to prevent the execution of an act entitled "An act to
provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States," passed March 2, 1867. Whereby the said Andrew Johnson, President
of the United States, did then, to wit: on the 21st day of February, 1868, at the city of Washington, commit and was guilty
of a high misdemeanor in office.
Recommended
Reading: Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for
Lincoln's
Legacy. Description: From School Library Journal: One of our more controversial political figures,
Andrew Johnson came closer than any other U.S. President to being removed from office through impeachment. This study by Stewart
(Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution), a Washington lawyer who has argued against impeachment in Senate proceedings,
examines Johnson's rocky relationship with the post-Civil War radical Republicans. Continued below…
He breaks with
those historians who have suggested that Johnson followed what would have been Lincoln's
path to reconstruct the South, as he discusses the complex impeachment proceedings against Johnson and the effectiveness of
the impeachment process in calming political tensions, if not in removing Presidents from office. Readers who wish to broaden
their understanding of Lincoln in this anniversary year will do well to select this well-researched work even if their collection
already includes such examinations as Howard Mean's narrower The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days That
Changed the Nation.—Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania Library. From Publishers Weekly: Fresh from his
masterful The Summer of 1787, Stewart takes on one of the seamiest events in American history: the vengeful impeachment of
Lincoln's
successor as president; the Senate failed to convict Andrew Johnson by a single vote. At issue was the continuation of Lincoln's
plans to reintegrate the South into the union after the Civil War. But also at stake, as always, was party politics. Stewart
takes readers through a tangled web of motives and maneuverings in lively, unadorned prose. He's skilled at characterizing
his large cast of characters and, as a lawyer, has a practiced nose for skullduggery, of which there was much. Corruption
deeply marred the entire impeachment effort. Justifiably, Stewart holds his nose about most of the people involved and admires
few of them. As he sums it up, in 1868 none of the country's leaders was great, a few were good, all were angry, and far too
many were despicable. Stewart offers little analysis and advances no new ideas about what he relates, but he tells the story
as well as it's ever been told. Black and white photos.
Recommended
Reading: History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: And His Trial by the
Senate for High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Office (Forgotten Books) (Paperback). Description: The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson was the biggest affair in the
United States
during Reconstruction. The President was being tried on charges for breaking the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary
of War Edwin M. Stanton from office and replacing him with Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas. Vice President Andrew Johnson
had succeeded to the presidency on April 15, 1865 after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. His succession to the presidency
had a negative outlook on the country which led to controversies between Johnson and the Radical Republicans. Continued below…
Edwin M. Stanton,
Thaddeus Stevens and Benjamin F. Butler were the three most suspicious of the President and would usually meet with each other
along with other Radicals at Stanton's office or Stevens' home to plan Johnson's impeachment. Table of Contents: Publisher's
Preface; Preface; The Problem Of Reconstruction; The Baltimore Convention; Mr. Johnson's Accession To The Presidency; First
Attempt To Impeach The President; The Tenure-of-office Act; Impeachment Agreed To By The House; Impeachment Reported To The
Senate; Organization Of The Court Argument Of Counsel; Examination Of Witnesses And Their Testimony; A Conference Held And
The First Vote Taken; The Impeachers In A Maze. A Recess Ordered; Was It A Partisan Prosecution?; The Constitutional Power
Of Impeachment; Supplement.
Recommended
Reading: Andrew Johnson : A Biography (Signature Series) (Hardcover). Description: On April 14, 1865, just as the American
Civil War came to an end, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by a Confederate actor. The next morning Andrew Johnson was suddenly
elevated to the position of president of the United States at a time when the nation was still
suffering from the effects of war. This biography explores the enigma of the homeless and uneducated tailor whose spectacular
rise to power ended in disgrace. It relates how his term in office undermined the process of reconstruction and left a legacy
of racism. Over a century later, Johnson remains the only president of the United States to have been
impeached. The author explores Johnson's undeniable skills as a political leader and his stubborn attachment to a mythical
view of the America
of his youth, which proved to be his undoing. Continued below…
From Library
Journal: Known for his Carl Schurz: A Biography (LJ 2/15/82), Trefousse delivers the first Johnson study in years, a definitive
assessment of his career and presidency. Johnson's papers and other sources reveal his fatal idealization of the agrarian
utopia, his fierce advocacy of strict Constitutional constructionism, and his imprudent insistence upon the Republican Party’s
adoption of his views on race. Trefousse demonstrates that Johnson, because of his upbringing, was out of step with the great
changes emerging at the end of the Civil War. His stubborn attachment to his increasingly archaic views was responsible for
his political and military success, but also for his impeachment. A brilliant, compassionate portrait of a dynamic era of
social change and national healing, and of the tragic failure of an American leader. Not to be missed. --Susan E. Parker,
Harvard Law Sch. Library. About the Author: Hans L. Trefousse is professor of history at Brooklyn
College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His other books
include The Radical Republicans, a path breaking history of Reconstruction.
Recommended
Reading: Andrew Johnson: The American Presidents Series: The 17th President, 1865-1869 (Hardcover). Description: The unwanted president who ran afoul
of Congress over Reconstruction and was nearly removed from office. Andrew Johnson never expected to be president, but just
six weeks after becoming Abraham Lincoln’s vice president, the events at Ford’s Theatre thrust him into the nation’s
highest office. Continued below…
Johnson faced
a nearly impossible task—to succeed America’s
greatest chief executive, to bind the nation’s wounds after the Civil War, and to work with a Congress controlled by
the so-called Radical Republicans. Annette Gordon-Reed, one of America’s leading historians
of slavery, shows how ill-suited Johnson was for this daunting task. His vision of reconciliation abandoned the millions of
former slaves (for whom he felt undisguised contempt) and antagonized congressional leaders, who tried to limit his powers
and eventually impeached him. The climax of Johnson’s presidency was his trial in the Senate and his acquittal by a
single vote, which Gordon-Reed recounts with drama and palpable tension. Despite his victory, Johnson’s term in office
was a crucial missed opportunity; he failed the country at a pivotal moment, leaving America
with problems that we are still trying to solve. About the Author: Annette Gordon-Reed is a professor of law at New York Law School,
where she has taught since 1992. She is the author of the celebrated Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy,
co-author with Vernon Jordan
of Vernon Can Read!, and editor of Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History. She lives in New York City.
Recommended
Reading: The Presidency of Andrew Johnson (American Presidency Series) (Hardcover). Description: Andrew Johnson, who became president
after the assassination of Lincoln,
oversaw the most crucial and dramatic phase of Reconstruction. Historians have therefore tended to concentrate, to the exclusion
of practically everything else, upon Johnson's key role in that titanic event. Although his volume focuses closely on Johnson's
handling of Reconstruction, it also examines other important aspects of his administration, notably his foreign, economic,
and Indian policies. As one of the few historians to do this, the author provides a broader and more balanced picture of Johnson's
presidency than has been previously available. Continued below…
Johnson has
always been an enigma: much is known about what he did, little about why he did it. He wrote few letters, kept no diary, and
rarely confided in anyone. Most historians either admire or despise him, depending on whether they consider his Reconstruction
policies right or wrong. Castel achieves an objective reassessment of Johnson and his presidential actions by examining him
primarily in terms of his effectiveness in using power and by not judging him--as most other scholars have--on moralistic
or ideological grounds. The book begins with an overview of America at the end of the Civil War and a description
of Johnson's political career prior to 1865. Castel recounts the drama of Johnson's sudden inheritance of the presidency upon
Lincoln's
death and then examines how Johnson organized and operated his administration. Johnson's formulation of a Reconstruction policy
for the defeated South comes under special scrutiny; Castel evaluates Johnson's motives for that policy, its implementation,
and its reception in both North and South. He descries and analyzes Johnson's quarrel with the Republican dominated Congress
over Reconstruction, the triumph of the Republicans in the election of 1866, the president's frustrated attempt to remove
Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from office, his bitter dispute with General Ulysses S. Grant, and his impeachment by Congress.
Johnson's impeachment trial is covered in detail; Castel explains how it was that Johnson escaped conviction and removal from
office by the narrowest possible margin. The book concludes with a discussion of Johnson's place in history as judged by scholars
during the past one hundred years. This study sheds light on the nation's problems during the chaotic period between 1865
and 1869 and contributes a great deal to a much improved understanding of the seventeenth president. This book is part of
the American Presidency Series.
Recommended
Reading: Abraham Lincoln (The American Presidents Series: The 16th President, 1861-1865) (Hardcover). Description:
America’s greatest
president, who rose to power in the country’s greatest hour of need and whose vision saw the United States
through the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln towers above the others who have held the office of president—the icon of greatness,
the pillar of strength whose words bound up the nation’s wounds. His presidency is the hinge on which American history
pivots, the time when the young republic collapsed of its own contradictions and a new birth of freedom, sanctified by blood,
created the United States
we know today. His story has been told many times, but never by a man who himself sought the office of president and contemplated
the awesome responsibilities that come with it. Continued below…
George S. McGovern—a
Midwesterner, former U.S.
senator, presidential candidate, veteran, and historian by training—offers his unique insight into our sixteenth president.
He shows how Lincoln
sometimes went astray, particularly in his restrictions on civil liberties, but also how he adjusted his sights and transformed
the Civil War from a political dispute to a moral crusade. McGovern’s account reminds us why we hold Lincoln in such esteem and
why he remains the standard by which all of his successors are measured. George S. McGovern represented South Dakota in the United
States Senate from 1963 to 1981 and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1972. He was a decorated bomber pilot in World
War II, after which he earned his Ph.D. in American history and government at Northwestern University.
A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he lives in Mitchell, South Dakota.
Abraham Lincoln, who came into the presidency in the country’s greatest hour of need, towers above the others who have
held the office of president—the icon of greatness, the pillar of strength whose words bound up the nation’s wounds.
His vision saw the United
States through the Civil War. His presidency is the hinge
on which American history pivots, the time when the young republic collapsed of its own contradictions and a new birth of
freedom, sanctified by blood, created the United States we know today. His story has been
told many times, but never by a man who himself sought the office of president and contemplated the awesome responsibilities
that come with it. George S. McGovern—a Midwesterner, former U.S. senator, presidential
candidate, veteran, and historian by training—offers his unique insight into our sixteenth president. He shows how Lincoln
sometimes went astray, particularly in his restrictions on civil liberties, but also how he adjusted his sights and transformed
the Civil War from a political dispute to a moral crusade. McGovern’s account reminds us why we hold Lincoln in such esteem and
why he remains the standard by which all of his successors are measured. "The greatness and imperfections of America's
16th president, captured by a former Democratic nominee for the White House. With considerable skill and insight, McGovern
crafts a biography snappy, clear and comprehensive enough to please general readers, students and scholars alike. In eight
short chapters, six of which deal with Lincoln's presidency,
he nails the essential strengths, flaws, failures and achievements of America's most revered
leader."—Kirkus Reviews. "McGovern’s Lincoln
is a finely wrought gem. In this small volume McGovern captures Lincoln’s character and leadership strengths better than many
weighty tomes. It is a worthy addition to the brilliant American Presidents Series."—Doris Kearns Goodwin. "If you like
your biographies very short and sweet with a dash of corrective moralism, you might try George McGovern's Abraham Lincoln,
a well-timed entry in Times Books' presidents series, written by the former White House candidate."—David Waldstreicher,
The Boston
Globe. "Lincoln
is one of the few presidents to be claimed by both liberals and conservatives. This volume by the former Democratic presidential
candidate (in the American President Series from Times Books, edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Sean Willentz) examines
Lincoln's record from a liberal point of view, particularly his early and apparent contradictory views on slavery—his
platform made clear that his purpose was to contain slavery in the Southern states, not to abolish it. An example: In our
16th president, writes McGovern, 'We see the decency of popular government. Its role, then as now, was, as Lincoln wrote "to elevate the
condition of men . . . to afford all an unfettered start in the race of life" . . . To him, democracy was an experiment that
the world had not seen before.' Simply put, McGovern makes a convincing case that America's
first Republican president was really our first democratic president."—Allen Barra, The Star-Ledger (Newark). "The greatness and
imperfections of America's
16th president, captured by a former Democratic nominee for the White House. With considerable skill and insight, McGovern
crafts a biography snappy, clear and comprehensive enough to please general readers, students and scholars alike. In eight
short chapters, six of which deal with Lincoln's presidency,
he nails the essential strengths, flaws, failures and achievements of America's most revered leader.
Born in a Kentucky log cabin, Lincoln was a melancholic who
suffered more than his fair share of misfortune. According to McGovern, he nevertheless earned success through his ceaseless
hard work, powerful intellect and incomparable abilities as a speechwriter. Lincoln began his political career as a member
of the Whig Party. After serving in the Illinois state legislature, he won election to the U.S. Congress in 1846, but lost
support by challenging President James Polk on the origins of the Mexican War and lasted only one term. The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska
Act, sponsored by Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas, reinvigorated Lincoln's political ambitions. While he believed the Constitution did
not allow for abolition in the South, he staunchly opposed the westward expansion of slavery. With the Whig Party split, he
joined the new Republican Party in 1856 and ran against Douglas
for a Senate seat in 1858. Although he lost this race, Lincoln
gained national prominence as a result of his famous debates with Douglas.
Two years later, he won the 1860 presidential election, a victory that angered the South and brought about secession and war.
What was he like as a wartime president? In three core chapters, McGovern astutely assesses Lincoln's emergence as a commander
in chief committed to 'total war.' The author does not shy away from criticizing his subject, particularly for suspending
habeas corpus and censoring the press. Still McGovern's overall depiction is one of a complex, tolerant and extraordinary
man who simultaneously preserved the Union and transformed
the nation. Compact and commanding."—Kirkus Reviews. "Former U.S. senator McGovern—who
is also a Ph.D. historian—knows something about presidential leadership and the potential and actual abuses of power
that come especially during wartime. In this compact but convincing portrait, he assesses Lincoln's greatness in terms of
his ability to use his humble origins, empathy, keen sense of justice, uncommon skill in seeing the essence of an issue, faith
in American democracy, gifts of language, and personal self-confidence—all to become a masterly lawyer, a party leader,
commander in chief, and a heroic figure with both the vision and the practicality to realize his purposes . . . Given his
own politics. About the Author: George S. McGovern represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1963 to 1981 and was
the Democratic nominee for president in 1972. He was a decorated bomber pilot in World War II, after which he earned his Ph.D.
in American history and government at Northwestern
University. A recipient
of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he lives in Mitchell,
South Dakota.
Recommended Reading: Civil War and Reconstruction (781 pages).Description: Long considered the standard text in the field, The Civil War and Reconstruction—originally
written by James G. Randall and revised by David Donald—is now available in a thoroughly revised new edition prepared
by David Donald, Jean H. Baker, and Michael F. Holt. Maintaining the accuracy and comprehensiveness that distinguished the
original, the revised edition incorporates the best new scholarship in the field. Continued below...
Expanded and updated coverage of social and cultural history includes
detailed discussions of southern society, slavery and the African-American experience, the experiences of women, and issues
of class. The postwar chapters have been 'reconceived' to treat Reconstruction as a national, rather than a regional, problem,
exploring the connections between developments in the South and parallel changes in the North.
|
