The impeachment of Andrew Johnson, the first of only two impeachment trials of American Presidents in U.S. history, was the result of heightening tension, political uncertainty and failed Reconstruction policies in a time of American history when cohesion was the most needed policy. Johnson was accused of a number of crimes, all centred on the fact that he removed Edwin Stanton from office in a move intended to gain control of a government that was slipping from his grip. This was the culmination of a period of uncertainty and friction that had begun with Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and continued with the warring factions of Congress, the main topic being the Reconstruction of the United States following the Civil War.

The end of the Civil War meant that brothers who had fought brothers were forced to contemplate how to reconstruct their razed land and sore political landscape. We may never know Lincoln’s full intent with regards to Reconstruction, but it seemed likely that he would continue his attempt to emancipate the African American population, though perhaps with more moderation than many at the time believed should be shown. In the post-war period, Congress sat opposed on two major issues; the rights of the freed people and the punishment of the Confederate leaders. Most vocal on the side of increased rights and harsh punishments were the Radical Republicans, who looked for Radical Reconstruction. They believed that the African American population should be given the same rights as the White Americans, with the ability to participate in the free-labor economy at the heart of their argument. Alongside this, they believed that the former Confederate leaders should be harshly punished. These two policies were reflected in the attempted Civil Rights Bill of 1866, which gave the same rights of property and person to both Blacks and Whites, and the Reconstruction Act of 1867, which denied the former ‘rebels’ the right to vote and seek office and divided the South into five military districts to be governed by Congress. Regardless of the attitude to African American equality or to the treatment of former Confederates, the contentious nature of these acts were their blatant announcement of Congress’ intent to take control of State matters as well as Federal. Whilst Johnson, who vetoed the Civil Rights Bill, rejected the notion that Blacks and Whites were equal and believed that Confederates should be reintegrated into the USA without punishment, he was also concerned by a growth in federal and Congressional power. With these issues in mind, he deliberately worked to bar any progress on the side of the Radical Republicans, and consequently of Radical Reconstruction. His uncooperative nature and attempts to regain control of a determined Congress resulted in the Stanton incident and his eventual Impeachment trial.

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