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Exchange Exemplar: The Very First Presidential Impeachment

The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in the Senate on March 13, 1868.
The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in the Senate on March 13, 1868.

Four times in American history, decided whether to remove the president from office. All four times, Congress declined.

But the first round was the closest, as Congress considered the fate of Andrew Johnson, a Democrat made president by the death of Republican Abraham Lincoln.

What did Johnson do, or not do, to get Congress to draw up articles of impeachment?

The full story is told in Brenda Wineapple's book The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation.

The author joined us in 2019, before either of Donald Trump's two impeachments.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily talk show focused on news and interests across our region of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Angela Decker is the senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Geoffrey Riley hosts the show.