The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson [Paperback]

Michael Les Benedict (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393094189 | ISBN-13: 978-0393094183 | Publication Date: March 1973 | Edition: First Edition

"The definitive account of Andrew Johnson's impeachment and of the dramatic events that first put a president on trial before the Senate." - Eric Foner

This book argues that although Johnson's impeachment did not succeed in ousting him, it was a justified step. It describes the critical issues and events leading up to the impeachment and then discusses the trial itself: what the grounds were, what the different sides' motivations were and why the attempt failed.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The definitive account of Andrew Johnson's impeachment and of the dramatic events that first put a president on trial before the Senate. -- Eric Foner --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Michael Les Benedict is professor of history at Ohio State University. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; First Edition edition (March 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393094189
• ISBN-13: 978-0393094183
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,163,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes Lewinsky Battle Seem Tame, January 24, 2001

By 

Andrew M. Strnad - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (Paperback)

Now Andrew Johnson may not have been hiding with an intern in the oval office, but this book has a lot more to offer. Drama in the House, drama in the Senate, verbal fights, threats, it sure beats the heck out of blue dresses and cigars. I don't think people have any idea how close Johnson was to being kicked out of office, let alone for what reason. Benedict does a remarkable job chronicling the times surrounding the day. Going in I found the battle to purely partisan, but after reading I agree with Benedict, the impeachment was justified.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An apologia for the impeachers, May 30, 2001

By 

Brian Melendez (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (Paperback)

Professor Les Benedict lays out the case for President Johnson's impeachment in this 1972 monograph. The narrative is highly sympathetic to the radical-Republican impeachers, and unsympathetic to Johnson: Les Benedict embraces an emerging theme among historians who "now speak in terms of well-meaning efforts of conscientious Republicans to establish national security on the basis of equality before the law" in the highly volatile post-Civil War era, and he complains that "[o]nly one event has resisted this historical reversal--the impeachment and trial of President Andrew Johnson." The book paints the congressional Republicans as conscientious and rational politicians interested in restoring the Southern economic base (and securing their own political ascendancy) after the War, and Johnson as a power-hungry executive who thwarts the congressional policy using his military authority and other constitutional powers--all to the point where the restrained and long-suffering congressional majority is left with no choice but impeachment (the chapter leading up to the impeachment is titled "Johnson Forces the Issue"). The book paints the politics with a very broad brush, and unfortunately gives short shrift to Johnson's motives, even though Johnson himself is portrayed as a capable and determined politician and not as the out-of-touch bumbler that some histories have made him out to be. But the book tells an engaging story from the congressional viewpoint, and offers a detailed and balanced view of the legal issues on which the trial ultimately hinged.

4.0 out of 5 stars Strongly Stated, Interesting, Readable, March 25, 2008

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (The Norton Essays in American History) (Hardcover)

Professor Benedict makes a pretty strong case for impeaching Andrew Johnson in 1868. Benedict shows that Johnson was an obstructionist President who failed to execute reconstruction policies, and that the radical Republicans in Congress were determined but non-fanatical opponents desiring to help newly-freed slaves. Clearly Johnson, a Southern loyalist, cared little for ex-slaves; his military governors in Dixie favored "black codes" curtailing their rights. How different history might have been had Johnson shared the civil rights objectives of radical Republicans. Still, the author doesn't entirely erase the sense that this impeachment was more about politics than crimes and misdemeanors. The Tenure in Office Act seemed like a pretext - ala Monica Lewinsky in 1998 - and one Senator voting to convict (Ohio's Benjamin Wade) stood next in line for the Presidency. Either way, this is an informative look by an excellent Professor - I took his Constitutional History class years ago at Ohio State University, and he was a truly inspiring lecturer.

One wonders how the author would view Bill Clinton's impeachment - would he buy dubious Republican claims of perjury in a sexual matter, or see it as inspired by GOP hatred for a guy that beat them twice at the polls and shattered their illusions of a lock on the White House? Benedict should also write about Clinton's impeachment.