The Impeachers

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When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Vice-President Andrew Johnson became 'the Accidental President' during a perilous time in America. Congress grappled with how to reunite the nation, debating the reintegration of the secessionist South, punishment for former Confederates, and voting rights for black men. Many white Southerners, devastated by war and resorting to violence, sought to restore a pre-Civil War society, albeit without slavery, and Johnson appeared to align with their aspirations. Exercising unchecked executive power, he ignored Congress, pardoned rebel leaders, promoted white supremacy, opposed civil rights, and deemed Reconstruction unnecessary. Congress was left to confront a president who acted as if he were a king. Through extensive research and profound insights, Brenda Wineapple vividly portrays this crucial period in American history, marked by the first impeachment of a sitting president. She brings to life the remarkable figures involved in this struggle: the obstinate Johnson and his supporters, including the complex Secretary of State William Seward, alongside visionaries like Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, and Ulysses S. Grant. Their efforts represented a last-ditch, patriotic, and constitutional attempt to realize the Civil War's goals and create a free, fair, and unified Union.