The Impeachment of Andrew JohnsonMcFarland, 2000 M01 1 - 259 pages While it is commonly known that Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached, less well known are the circumstances that led to the unsuccessful campaign to remove him from office. This account of Johnson's political life in Washington (including brief coverage of his early career in Tennessee) focuses on his conflict with the Radical Republicans, a group of fanatical abolitionists who, after Lincoln's assassination, sought to dominate American government and punish the South as harshly as possible. Johnson's focus on healing the nation and his refusal to submit to the Radicals' demands led to his impeachment. Though Johnson was acquitted, his impeachment clearly illustrates the danger when one branch of government tries to dominate the others. This chronicle of the first U.S. presidential impeachment covers in detail the political forces that nearly removed him from office. Numerous illustrations, a bibliography and an index are included. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 1 |
Introduction | 3 |
The Rise from Poverty | 9 |
The War Years | 21 |
The Emergence of the Radicals | 33 |
Lincolns Legacy | 43 |
Johnson Takes Charge | 55 |
The Radicals Organize | 66 |
The Puzzling Issue of Impeachment | 132 |
A Crisis in the War Department | 141 |
Johnson Is Impeached | 154 |
The Trial Begins | 168 |
The Presidents Defense | 179 |
The Closing Arguments | 187 |
The Verdict | 195 |
Last Days of the Presidency | 204 |
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