On This Day: President Andrew Johnson Impeached
Image via Wikipedia On Feb. 24, 1868, Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached; the Senate subsequently acquitted him by a single vote. House Impeaches President Johnson Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865. Lincoln, a Republican , had chosen Johnson, a Democrat who served as military governor of Tennessee , as his running mate for re-election in 1864 because he was a southerner who supported the war and was loyal to the Union . The main issue facing Johnson was how to readmit the Southern states that had seceded . He opposed military rule over Confederate states , pardoned rebel soldiers and returned property to rebels. He also vetoed two bills passed by the Republican-controlled Congress that established rights for freed slaves. Related articles New book focuses on Andrew Johnson during Civil War, Reconstruction (knoxnews.com) All You Need to Know About Impeachment (dennisher...