The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

by Chester G. Hearn

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.

259 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

A 1954 graduate of Allegheny College, Chester Hearn served in the U.S. Army and worked in industrial management before becoming an author of books on the American Civil War in his retirement.

Reviews

[Robert Brents · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had always perceived Andrew Johnson as the "bad guy" who deserved impeachment. How wrong I was! The Radical Republicans wanted Johnson removed from office so they could implement their extreme Reconstruction plan to erase the identities of the former Confederate states, set up (corrupt) military-ruled territories, plunder the wealth / land of the South to the benefit of Northern business interests, and destroy the Constitution. Lincoln selected Johnson as his running mate in the 1864 election because his and Johnson's ideas for Reconstruction had much in common. Johnson's main fault was that he was stubborn and not very good at 'politicking'. It's a good thing for America that he wasn't convicted.