Articles of Impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives against Andrew Johnson, President of the United States. March 4, 1868.—Ordered to be printed

—

---

This official Senate printing contains the full text of the eleven articles of impeachment adopted by the House of Representatives against Andrew Johnson. The charges center on his removal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, as well as broader accusations of defiance against Congressional Reconstruction.

The impeachment and trial of President Andrew Johnson was the most consequential state trial in American history. Succeeding Lincoln after the assassination, Johnson attempted to carry forward a program of lenient Reconstruction, but his efforts were continually blocked by Radical Republicans, who ultimately maneuvered him into impeachment.

In February 1868, Johnson dismissed Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in violation of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867. The next day, the House voted 126 to 47 to impeach him. His Senate trial, presided over by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, opened on March 13. The prosecution, led by John Bingham and Charles Sumner, waged an aggressive campaign of character attacks, while William H. Evarts defended Johnson by challenging the constitutionality of the Tenure Act. In the end, Johnson was narrowly acquitted.

Price: $125.00