ALENTIEVA T.V. President Andrew Johnson Impeached: The First Presidential Impeachment in American History
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2021.4.18
Tatiana V. Alentieva
Doctor of Sciences (History), Professor,
Department of World History, Kursk State University,
Radishcheva St, 33, 305000 Kursk, Russian Federation
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3816-0494
Abstract. Introduction. The article is devoted to the mechanism of impeachment procedure on the example of the first practical application of it in the history of the U.S. in relation to President Andrew Johnson. This created a necessary precedent in the further political struggle between the branches of government and has made the study of the history of the first presidential impeachment an urgent problem. Impeachment cases were brought against six subsequent presidents: Cleveland, Hoover, Truman, Nixon, Reagan, and G.W. Bush in the lower house of Congress. W. Clinton and D. Trump’s impeachment was discussed in the Senate, but was not successful.
Methods and Materials. The article is based on materials from the American press as well as cartoons. The novelty of the source base is in combination of verbal and visual materials. The author used theoretical concepts developed within the framework of interdisciplinarity. The problem-chronological approach was the methodological basis of the research. In American historiography, Johnson is regarded as the “worst” President in U.S. history. However, the debate over the legitimacy of the first impeachment of a President in U.S. history has not subsided until now. In American studies, the impeachment of Andrew Johnson has not been specifically considered.
Analysis. The conflict between the President and Congress was caused by the Reconstruction policy. The confrontation between the two branches of government led to impeachment. The President was charged in connection with the dismissal of Secretary of War E. Stanton, which was a violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The article examines how the impeachment procedure was implemented by Congress and why it failed.
Results. Despite the failure, the first impeachment of a President in the history of the United States showed the effectiveness of the “checks” and “balances” mechanism in implementing the principle of separation of powers. It has become a deterrent to the relationship between the President and Congress.
Key words: history of the United States, 19th century, the US Constitution, impeachment, Radical Republicans, Reconstruction of the South, Andrew Johnson.
Citation. Alentieva T.V. President Andrew Johnson Impeached: The First Presidential Impeachment in American History. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2021, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 212-221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2021.4.18.
President Andrew Johnson Impeached: The First Presidential Impeachment in American History by Alentieva T.V. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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