Describe The Process Of Impeachment

President Andrew Johnson assumed office following Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson had his own ideas of Reconstruction and tried to take his own course of action in putting the Union back together following the Civil War. A series of bitter political quarrels between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction Policy in the South eventually led to his impeachment.

When a president is sworn into office, he or she takes on a multitude of titles. One of the many titles the president is issued is the role of Chief in Legislator. This means that the president plays a crucial part in the legislative process or lawmaking. This title holds much authority in the eyes of Americans (Hoffman & Howard, 1317). Though this title does not give the president absolute authority, it does grant him or her strong jurisdiction in the legislature. The framers of the Constitution did not want America to be a monarchy the way they were when under the rule of England. As a result, the framers purposefully outlined the president’s limited power in the constitution, creating a democratic

If the President is suspected of unlawful acts, he can be impeached, or tried by the Senate for misusing his power. The Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. If he is found guilty, he can be punished but his sentence can be no more than being thrown out of office and being forbidden to hold any government office. Furthermore, if the President wants to spend money, his request must pass through Congress, since it has control over spending. Lastly, Congress can re-pass a bill that was vetoed by the President. Congress also has checks and balances against itself. The President can veto a bill from Congress, and although Congress can override a veto, obtaining a two-thirds vote to do so is very difficult. Public speeches by the President may also concern the public with an issue, putting pressure on Congress to act upon it. The Judicial branch exerts control over the other two by deciding whether or not actions made by the President or Congress, i.e., laws are constitutional.

The first president to ever be put on trial for impeachment was Andrew Johnson. Johnson would start out as the running mate for Lincoln and would become his vice president. In 1865, Johnson would take over as president following Lincoln’s assassination. During his presidency his power and popularity would decline massively. Within months of each other he would veto the Freedman’s Bureau Bill and the Civil Rights Bill, but they would be passed over his veto. Riots would soon start to break out. In February 1867, congress would pass the Tenure of Office Act, which would in hopes keep the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, at ease. Johnson would be punished because he violated this act due to suspending and then dismissing the Secretary of War. His impeachment trial began in 1868. The trial began in the Senate and Johnson would be acquitted with a vote of

The article begins with a brief biography of President Johnson, who although, never attended school, had a skill for public speaking, which led him to politics and in Lincoln taking notice of him. In December 1865, the Radical Republicans (a foe of Johnson), gained control after Congress denied the southerners representatives seats. By April of 1866, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act in response to the Black Codes, leading to power struggles and name calling between Congress and President Johnson. Congress also over-rode some of Johnson’s vetoes, further limiting his power. As Johnson got further out of control, a special committee voted to impeach him on the grounds of “high crimes and misdemeanors” (History.com). After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that perhaps Johnson was a ‘southern sympathizer’ who indeed deserved impeachment.

Congress brought impeachment charges against Johnson in early 1868. It was the first impeachment of a U.S. president. Congress said Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act and was obstructing the will of the people through an abusive use of veto power

Many people knew that Congress was just looking for a way to get rid of him since he was not a very cooperative President. When Johnson tried to remove Stanton it was in direct violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Nine of the articles of impeachment were because of Johnson's removal of Stanton and the other two charged Johnson with disgrace of Congress. However, other factors came into play and things started to unfold. At this time there was not a Vice President to take his place and the next in line for Presidency was a Radical by the name of Benjamin Wade and he was not well liked by many people. Also, Johnson's backers assured them that the Radicals' Southern policies would be approved. In May 1868, 35 Senators voted but they were one vote short of the required 2/3 majority. They found Johnson not guilty and he lived out his

Expressed in the Constitution, the Congress has the power to impeach the president. This power is divided between the two houses, in which the House of Representatives brings up impeachment powers and the Senate tries all impeachments(Doc 1). The framers of the Constitution purposefully made it this way for they feared that the Executive branch could gain too much power and turn into the Monarchy that Great Britain was at the time. Even before the framing of the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation had no executive at all, for the same reason as stated before. In the end, the framers decided to create an Executive but keep it in check using many tools, one of them being a threat of impeachment. This system allowed for an Executive that would have enough power to fulfill the needed duties of the branch, but would not have overarching powers like the King of England had at the time.

Congress retains a number of special powers. It can act as a judicial body to impeach and try a president or other civil officer for misconduct. For example, the House of Representatives impeaches the official and Senate does a trial. Congress is also empowered to create and use administrative agencies and boards, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to determine facts and to enforce its

During office, he supported a policy of Reconstruction after the Civil War. The Radical Republicans in Congress were furious at his leniency toward ex-confederates and his lack of concern for ex-slaves, demonstrated by his veto of civil rights bills and opposing the Fourteenth Amendment. To protect Radical Republicans in Johnson 's administration and minimize the strength of the president, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867, which prohibited the president from dismissing office holders without the Senate 's

Throughout the years, many scholars and politicians have perceived the legalistic interpretation of impeachment, as a legal process, due to the legal proceedings that take place. The legal proceeding of impeachment includes the House of Representatives (draws the charges towards the president and makes the decision of incitement), the Senate (takes an oath to become the jury at the hearing and decides on whether or not to convict), and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (who acts as a judge during the hearing). During the process, the legal teams are trying to make the argument of

According to the sixth clause of section 3, the Senate has "the sole Power to try all Impeachments" (US Const. Art. 1 Sec. 3). This means the Senate has the final say in determining whether an official should be removed from office or not. However, for the sentence to be carried out, a two thirds majority must approve.

A majority of members of the House of Representatives must support impeachment. No Republicans have publicly supported impeaching

After an all-night debate, Brazil’s Senate voted Thursday morning to suspend President Dilma Rousseff and begin an impeachment trial against her, ousting a deeply unpopular leader whose sagging political fortunes have come to embody widespread public anger over systemic corruption and a battered

America has done so much damage around the world that its end may be close near,