Andrew Johnson Impeach

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Though the United States’ political parties’ relationships are rocky, they all believe in abiding by the Constitution and setting aside their differences to make America great, right? In the 1860’s after the Civil War, this was not the case. Radical Republicans fought Johnson to an almost fatal trial. Disregarding the well-being of the Union, the Republican-controlled Congress prioritized partisan values to impeach President Johnson.
Influenced by his opposition to Congress’s reconstruction plans, Congress officially impeached Andrew Johnson for the violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The Tenure of Office Act prohibited the president from removing officials confirmed by the Senate without senatorial approval, shielding Republicans in Johnson’s cabinet such as War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton and trapping Johnson in quagmire. He could either let Stanton remain, or dismiss Stanton and be impeached. The …show more content…
Despite violating the Tenure of Office Act, Johnson attempted to test its constitutionality by replacing Stanton with General Ulysses S. Grant; however, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the case and Grant returned the office to Stanton. Since the act’s constitutionality was questionable, violation of the law was a weak reason to remove a president since it was not a high crime. Moreover, Johnson’s opposition to Congress’s program, rather than his violation of the Tenure of Office Act, mainly influenced Congress. Johnson’s trial became a political battleground between the republican radicals and democratic Johnson instead of an impartial evaluation of the president’s ability to lead the nation. Congress should not impeach a president on such weak reasons based on personal grudges and small misdemeanors. Ultimately, Johnson’s violation of the Tenure of Office Act and political blunders were not adequate grounds for
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