Why was Andrew Johnson impeached

The post American Civil War era was marked with political disturbances and polemical ideologies among members of the ruling as well as opposing political forces. Andrew Johnson, upon becoming the president of the United States, wanted to implement a version of the plan though by Abraham Lincoln. This was a plan for reconstruction and unification for the South. It involved the declaration of amnesty to those who were ready to pledge their unflinching loyalty towards the United States. This was necessary for them to be able to abide by the laws pertaining to slavery. The plan also talked about as to how these inductees to the States could actually have a say in the government by sending representatives to the Congress.

Andrew Johnson’s adherence to this strategy did not go too well with the radical Republicans in the Congress. The opposing factions of the party wanted to have a military government in place. They blatantly favoured the strategy of having stringent rules for those willing to reunite. The widespread disparity and discord that Andrew Johnson unwillingly engendered gave impetus to the feeling of hatred against him.

The undercurrents of disapproval in the Congress party gained momentum with time, and the pulsating volcano of hatred erupted when Andrew Johnson removed Mr. Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, from the cabinet. Lorenzo Thomas was inducted in the Cabinet as Stanton’s replacement. This was regarded as a flagrant violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The reconstruction policies were in the hands of the War Department, and Andrew Johnson had comiited a violation of the laws by replacing Stanton with Lorenzo without asking for the consent from the Senate.

Andrew Johnson’s rigid ideas as regards the unification of the Southern states, along with his folly of trespassing the lines of the Tenure of Office Act, resulted in making him face a voting in the House of Representatives. The sentiment of hatred against Johnson was in full swing at that time, and he lost the voting 126 to 47. Andrew Johnson was then impeached on February 24th, 1868 after the investigations of the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.