How was Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment related to Reconstruction and his relationship with Congress?

Kaitlyn Dorsey, Jamie Madsen, Havan Tem, Staci Thomas, Julianne Plourde

Edwin M. StantonLife span: 1814- 1869- Government official, civil rights activist, lawyer and

supreme court justice.- Stanton worked to demobilze Union forces and was

the commander and chief of the Reconstruction Policy. He felt that stricter measures should have been carried out.

- Relations with Andrew Johnson were not swell. - Johnson made several attempts in removing Stanton

from office. Replaced him with Ulysses Grant and Lorenzo Thomas. Congress worked in Stanton’s favor

- Start of Johnson’s impeachment H

Impeachment Process and Procedure

❖ House of Representatives➢ Should any one of the Articles of Impeachment be

approved by a simple majority vote, the President will be impeached and the matter sent to the senate.

❖ Senate➢ Senate votes to remove the President from office as well

as holding any public office in the futureTension between the executive and legislative branches had been high since shortly after Johnson's election upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln-- it was a lengthy political battle between the Southern Democrat Johnson and the "Radical Republican" movement that dominated Congress and sought control of the South through Reconstruction policies.

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Tenure of Office Act - 1867❖ A United States federal law (in force from 1867 to 1887)

that was intended to restrict the power of the President of the United States to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate➢ enacted over the veto of President Andrew Johnson

■ wanted to remove the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton● Stanton was a Radical Republican who

supported Congressional Reconstruction in full (Johnson was against a Republican-controlled Congress)

❖ Johnson was impeached, Congress wanted to keep Stanton in place

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Why did efforts to Impeach Johnson fail?Johnson’s impeachment trial lasted for 11 weeks.

-During the trial, Johnson seems changed and took action.

-He promised not to attack Congress in speeches. He also promised to reinforce the Reconstruction Acts. - There was one vote short of Johnson being

impeached.

JU

Radical Republicans- A name given to a faction

of the U.S congress that advocated the emancipation of slaves before and during the civil war.

- Were outraged by policies made by Johnson.

- Oppositions to the president included overriding presidential vetoes and the organizing of Andrew Johnson’s impeachment

- In 1867, they succeeded in passing the Reconstruction Act and Fourteenth Amendment.

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Accomplishments of the RadicalsDuring Reconstruction, the Radical Republicans believed that Confederate leaders were to be punished for their roles in the war. Radicals such as Thaddeus Stevens were opposed to Andrew Johnson’s policies. - A bill was passed by these Radicals to extend the work of the

Freedmen’s Bureau. - They also tried to pass a Civil Rights Bill.

- Both were vetoed by President Johnson, who believed that blacks did not have the “same rights of property and person” as the whites.

- The Radicals also created the Reconstruction Act of 1867 which divided the south to be empowered by the army so that the army could protect black property and citizens.

JU

Thaddeus Stevens

He was a Radical Republican during the time of reconstruction in the US. He fought for the free man’s rights, and wanted the Southern states to have strict requirements to rejoin the Union. He also helped many fugitives without pay while he lived in Pennsylvania.

JA

Alaska Purchase- The acquisition of Russian America by the US

from the Russian Empire in 1867 by a treaty- Seward’s Folly- US secretary of State - William H Seward got the worst bargain- Russia offered to sell the land in 1859, no deal,

then was reached - 7.2 million (about 2 cents per acre)- Also known as President Answer Johnson “polar bear garden”

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Pacific Railroad Act 1862,1864,1869- Authorized the Union Pacific Railroad and the general Pacific

Railroad to build a telegraph line beginning in Omanu, Nebraska ending in Sacramento, California

- Provided land from the public domain and government bonds to help pay for the construction

- Signed by President Abraham Lincoln on July 1,1862- Civil war began in 1861- Lincoln wanted to make sure that GA

didn’t seceed - Government charter formed the Union Pacific to build railway - Pacific Railroad Act of 1864- Government increased land grants

from 10 to 20 miles. Issued loan money faster and railroads could raise cash by selling bonds

- Completed in 1869S

Homestead Act

The Homestead Act allowed people to own land freely if they were willing to cultivate it. This land was used to cultivate revenue for the people on it. The Homestead Act was originally addressed by western farmers.

JA

WORKS CITED

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/seward-folly

www.education-portal.com

http://history1800s.about.com/od/1800sglossary/g/Radical-Republicans.htm

http://www.biography.com/people/edwin-stanton-21023019#the-johnson-years

http://www.docudharma.com/diary/32524/on-this-day-in-history-march-30

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/pacific-railway-act-of-1862-definition-summary-quiz.html