The Impeachment and Legacy of President Andrew Johnson

President Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, faced one of the most tumultuous presidencies in American history. Born in 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina, Johnson began his political career as a senator and later served as the military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War. He was chosen as Abraham Lincoln's running mate in the 1864 election, and when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Johnson became president.

Johnson's presidency was marked by his efforts to reconstruct the South after the Civil War. He clashed with the Radical Republicans in Congress over his lenient policies towards the former Confederate states, leading to his impeachment in 1868. The House of Representatives brought 11 articles of impeachment against Johnson, accusing him of violating the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from office without the Senate's approval.

The Senate trial that followed was a dramatic affair, with Johnson's fate hanging in the balance. In the end, Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office by one vote, thanks to the decision of Senator Edmund G. Ross of Kansas. Ross's historic vote saved Johnson from being the first president to be removed from office through impeachment.

Despite surviving impeachment, Johnson's reputation was forever tarnished. He served out the remainder of his term as a lame-duck president, unable to achieve much of his agenda. He left office in 1869 and returned to Tennessee, where he lived out the rest of his life.

Johnson passed away in 1875 and was buried in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Greeneville, Tennessee. His presidency remains a controversial chapter in American history, with historians debating his legacy and the impact of his impeachment on future presidents.