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Finding Precedent:

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

President Andrew Johnson

From the leading weekly newspaper of its time, HarpWeek presents exclusive online access to Harper's Weekly coverage of the historic 1868 Johnson Impeachment with over 200 excerpts from 1865-1869 selected specifically for this site.  

What's Unique About this Website?
An introduction to the importance of Harper's Weekly to the citizenry of 1868
and to the features of this site.
 


Key Political Issues Affecting the Impeachment
Explanations of four central subjects influencing the political environment of the impeachment.
 
Reconstruction Policy:  Radicalism versus Conservatism
Future Control of Congress
The Tenure of Office Act
Personal Considerations Affecting the Vote to Impeach
 

What Were the Impeachment Arguments of 1867-1868?
Understand the legal, political and Constitutional arguments
for and against Impeachment — made by key Congressmen, defense counsel and newspaper editors.
 

Who Was Who
Biographies and portraits of 28 important figures in the impeachment drama.
 

Edwin McMasters Stanton

Ulysses Simpson Grant

Lorenzo Thomas

John Wein Forney


What Happened in Andrew Johnson's Presidency?
Put yourself in the place of a Harper's Weekly reader of the 1860's.  Follow the week-to-week editorials and news stories and visualize the Illustrations and cartoons — with the help of HarpWeek's explanatory comments — as the clashes between President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction policies and practices build until they culminate in Impeachment.
 
Johnson's Background 1808-1867
Early Presidency 1865
First Vetoes January - July 1866
Initial Impeachment Discussions August - December 1866
Military Reconstruction January - June 1867
Overt Obstruction of Congress July 1867 - February 1868
Impeachment, Trial, and Acquittal March - June 1868
Remainder of Term and Life July 1868 - August 1875
 

Thaddeus Stevens

John Armor Bingham

John Alexander Logan

Thomas Williams


Teaching Impeachment
Bring History to life in the classroom with HarpWeek's
Impeachment Simulation Game
 

The Articles and Rules of Impeachment
The Articles of Impeachment
The Rules of Impeachment
 

Benjamin Butler

William Evarts

Henry Stanbery

Salmon Chase


What's Here from Harper's Weekly?
Over 200 excerpts from 1865-1869 selected specifically for this site.
 
90 Editorials by George William Curtis
47 News Articles and Briefs
47 Illustrations of People and Events
27 Political Cartoons by Thomas Nast and Others
  1 Illustrated Satire
 

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Additional information about the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

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