Week 8 Hist 406 Civil War & Reconstruction (in favor of the impeachment)

(You will argue in favor of the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson) Reconstruction didn't end until 1877 but its most defining moment came in 1868. For the first time in our history a President was impeached. There were many underlying factors behind this event but in the end one fundamental question had to be answered, did President Johnson deserve to be impeached? This week will be a debate, half the class will argue for impeachment, the other half against impeachment. I will tell all of you which side you must advocate for. Some of you may be articulating a point of view with which you don't agree. That is when you shine most. This is only happened twice in our history, thankfully. If you are an advocate for the removal of President Johnson you are a "Radical Republican." This group believed the South should have paid a heavier price than it did for losing the Civil War and that full and complete Constitutional and civil rights must be conferred on all African Americans. In their eyes any who resist these measures are traitors, including the President. Those arguing against impeachment were Democrats and a smaller group of Republican Senators who though not fans of the President they believed the process to be too political. This was hatred, not law driving the process. I look forward to an interesting and entertaining week.