The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson

Norton Essays in American History

by Michael Les Benedict

"The definitive account of Andrew Johnson's impeachment and of the dramatic events that first put a president on trial before the Senate." - Eric Foner This book argues that although Johnson's impeachment did not succeed in ousting him, it was a justified step. It describes the critical issues and events leading up to the impeachment and then discusses the trial what the grounds were, what the different sides' motivations were and why the attempt failed.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

A historian specializing in Anglo-American legal history and the Civil War era, Michael Les Benedict taught at Ohio State University from 1970 until his retirement in 2005. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Illinois and his PhD from Rice University.

Reviews

[E Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting analysis but ultimately concluding what we all knew, that Impeachment is the "defensive weapon" of Congress but is a "dull blade". Surely no subsequent US President would do anything more impeachable than dismissing a Secretary of State without the approval of Congress?

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I read for a history course about Presidents in Crisis. Thought the book itself is dense, and at times difficult to get through, it is thorough in the insight it gives to American History. I learned a lot from this book, and learned about President Andrew Johnson as a person, as well as his political moves, which gave me insight to the American political system. Overall I enjoyed it, but be warned, it definitely can be difficult to read.

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Impeachment was Congress's defensive weapon; it proved a dull blade, and the end result is that the only effective recourse against a president who ignores the will of Congress or exceeds his powers is democratic removal at the polls."

The epitaph to the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, as composed by Michael Les Benedict, reverberates to the present in all its sullenness. History has colored the impeachment by so-called Radical Republicans in dark hues: an overreach by radical, pro-African American Congressmen; the attempt to subvert presidential authority; a sour note in the most sour of times of Reconstruction. Benedict, to his immense credit, removes the stain on the impeachment in this little monograph, walking through precisely how dangerous Johnson was, how correct the House Managers were in their accusations against Johnson, and the evil consequences that stemmed from acquittal rather than the impeachment process itself.

In Johnson's impeachment, we find much to concern us in 2020: arguments against the notion that impeachment requires a specific indictable offense; the sense that an out-of-control president could only be reigned in by impeachment; corruption going unanswered, laws going un-executed, with Congress powerless to stop it.

The "Seven Martyrs" (i.e., the Republicans who saved Johnson's presidency by voting to acquit) appear more hellish than heavenly given contemporary circumstances. Impeachment, as Benedict laments, has become a dull blade indeed. Presidents, very much in the mold of Johnson, have secured for themselves a great bastion against any check by the other branches of government. Johnson's actions did more than violate law; they fundamentally altered the trajectory of Reconstruction, allowing the resurgence of neo-Confederate political power and consigning newly-emancipated African Americans to a second-class citizenship that took another one hundred years to break.

For those looking upon the Republicans of 2020, cowardly avoiding calling witnesses and protecting an expansive (and dangerous) vision of presidential power, they are the inheritors of the acquitters of 1868, a coterie that puts narrow interests above the Union. Johnson has entered the dustbin of history; that itself may be the only check against the transgressions of current executive malfeasance.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very in depth review of the who what and why of the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. A bit dense and certainly not written like a thriller. Comes across as well researched and scholarly. Interesting how the president sought in many ways to ignore Congress and the plans they had passed into law and how that the president was brought to heel.