Month: January 2020
Ben Butler Warns that Delaying Conclusion of the Impeachment Trial Plays Into the Hands of Ku Klux Klan
After Generals Thomas and Sherman testified in the Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson, the president’s lead counsel Henry Stanbery took ill. The defense requested a…
The Impeachment Polka: Literally Dancing Through the Senate Trial
The most talked-about event of the first-half of 1868 was the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Why not cash in by turning impeachment into a dance…
Alan Dershowitz Messes Up the History of the Johnson Impeachment- Again!
Last week I posted about Alan Dershowitz’s misrepresentation about the use of witnesses at previous impeachment trials. Dershowitz implied that previous impeachment trials had not…
Brenda Wineapple: Salmon Chase Not a Good Role Model for Chief Justice During Impeachment Trial
Brenda Wineapple has been the most-quoted historian of the month. Her recent book The Impeachers tells the story of the Andrew Johnson impeachment and she…
Ben Butler’s Conduct of Impeachment Questioning “A Disgraceful Spectacle”: New York Times
On April 13, 1868 The NY Times carried this article on the questioning of Gen. Lorenzo Thomas during the Johnson Impeachment Trial by House Manager…
Video: Southern Historical Society Panel on Teaching Reconstruction at the College Level
Here is an interesting panel presentation given two months ago at the Southern Historical Association about ways to teach Reconstruction at the undergraduate level. There…
The Day of the Two Generals: Impeachment Testimony of Sherman and Thomas
On April 11, 1868, the flagging public interest in the Senate’s Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson was revived as two generals, Lorenzo Thomas and William…
On the Third Day of Testimony in the Impeachment Trial Boredom Had Set In Among Spectators
By April 2, 1868 the Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson was in its third day of testimony. While the opening argument had been a crowd…
The Second Day of Impeachment Testimony: Did the President Conspire to Use Force to Evict Stanton?
On April 1, 1868 the Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson was dominated by testimony about whether the president’s designee as acting War Secretary tried to…
The First of 41 Witnesses Testifies In the Trial of Andrew Johnson
One major difference between the 2020 impeachment trial and the 1868 version is in the use of witnesses. The Constitution calls for a trail of…
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