Andrew Johnson: First Impeached (1865 - 1869)

Summary

Andrew Johnson became president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865. A Southern Democrat and Unionist, Johnson had remained in the Senate after Tennessee seceded and later served as the state’s military governor. Lincoln chose him as his running mate in 1864 to signal national unity.

Johnson’s presidency was dominated by conflict over how to reconstruct the South and protect the rights of formerly enslaved people. He became the first U.S. president to be impeached.

Johnson’s Early Presidency

• Johnson’s swearing-in as vice president was marred by a heavily intoxicated, incoherent speech. Lincoln defended him afterward.
• Johnson was also a target of the assassination conspiracy, but his would-be assassin, George Atzerodt, did not carry out the attack. John Wilkes Booth had left a note at Johnson’s residence, later fueling speculation about whether Johnson knew of the plot. The subtitles state that there was no evidence supporting the accusation.
• Johnson later permitted the execution of Mary Surratt and three other people convicted for their roles in the assassination.

Reconstruction Policy and Its Consequences

Johnson pursued a rapid restoration of the Southern states. His approach focused on re-forming state governments and returning them to the Union, but did not prioritize voting rights for African Americans. It included:

• Quickly restoring state governments: Johnson issued proclamations directing former Confederate states to hold conventions and elections.
• Limiting federal involvement in voting rights: He argued that states should decide who could vote and treated Black suffrage as a secondary concern.
• Seeking to weaken the planter class: He hoped political power would shift toward ordinary white Southerners and that a Democratic coalition would develop in the South.
• Accepting state governments without requiring Black suffrage: This helped former Confederate leaders regain power.
• Vetoing federal protections: He opposed the Civil Rights Bill of 1866, which affirmed equal rights under the law, and legislation extending the Freedmen’s Bureau. Congress overrode his veto of the Civil Rights Bill.
• Opposing the Fourteenth Amendment: The amendment granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people.

The lack of protections for Black Southerners enabled Southern states to enact Black Codes, which restricted African Americans’ civil liberties and subjected many to coercive labor arrangements. Republicans in Congress refused to seat representatives from those states and pushed back against Johnson’s policies. His repeated clashes with Congress alienated Republicans without winning him meaningful support in the South.

Conflict with Congress and Impeachment

Johnson’s stubbornness and refusal to compromise deepened his political isolation. He toured the country in 1866 to promote his policies, but the tour backfired: Republicans opposed to him won a landslide in that year’s congressional elections.

Congress subsequently passed Reconstruction legislation over Johnson’s vetoes. This included a measure that placed the South into five military districts and required states seeking restoration to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. Johnson proposed a compromise allowing a modified amendment, limited Black suffrage, and no disqualification of former Confederates, but it failed.

The immediate trigger for impeachment was Johnson’s attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton:

1. Johnson suspended Stanton and temporarily appointed Ulysses S. Grant in his place.
2. The Senate reinstated Stanton, citing the Tenure of Office Act, which restricted the president’s ability to remove certain officials without Senate approval.
3. Grant stepped down, and Johnson dismissed Stanton and appointed Lorenzo Thomas.
4. On February 24, 1868, the House impeached Johnson by a vote of 128 to 47.
5. Johnson’s defense argued that Stanton had been appointed by Lincoln, so the Tenure of Office Act did not apply, and that the president was entitled to test the law’s constitutionality.
6. Johnson did not appear at his trial and was acquitted by a single vote.

Other Events and Legacy

Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7 million. Critics at the time called it “Seward’s Folly,” but the subtitles note that the purchase later proved valuable.

After leaving office, Johnson returned to Tennessee and was elected to the Senate in 1875, becoming the only former president to serve there. He died only months later. The video portrays him as one of the country’s worst presidents, citing his needless confrontations with Congress and his opposition to constitutional rights for African Americans.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Professor Dave — narrator and presenter.
• Historical figures quoted or discussed: Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Hannibal Hamlin, John Wilkes Booth, and William Seward. The subtitles do not identify separate recorded voices for these figures; their words are presented through the narration.