SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT

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SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT

• The Process of
• Presidential Impeachment

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One of these is not like the others...
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One of these is not like the others...
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One of these is not like the others
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One of these is not like the others
Andrew Johnson
Franklin Pierce
Richard Nixon
Bill Clinton
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Vocabulary 1

• Impeachment
• A method by which high government
• officials can be removed from office.

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Vocabulary 2

• Presidential Impeachment
• The vote of the U. S. House of Representatives
• to hold a trial against the President in the
• U. S. Senate. A majority vote.

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Vocabulary 3

• Removal from Office
• The vote of the U. S. Senate to remove
• the President from office. A two-thirds
• vote.

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Vocabulary 4

• Treason
• Making war against the United States or
• giving aid and comfort to the enemies of
• the United States.

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Vocabulary 5

• Bribery
• Offering money to a political official
• for special consideration or treatment.

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Vocabulary 6

• High Crimes and Misdemeanors
• Charges not defined by treason or
• bribery, but serious enough to damage
• the integrity of the office of the President.

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Vocabulary 7

• Majority Vote
• A vote won by half plus one of the total
• number of votes, or 51 out of 100.

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Vocabulary 8

• Two-Thirds Vote
• A vote won by two-thirds of the total
• number of ballots cast, or 67 out of 100.

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Impeachment of the President

• Three Case Studies
• 1. Andrew Johnson
• 2. Richard Nixon
• 3. William Clinton

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Andrew Johnson

• A Senator from Tennessee, Johnson supported the
  Union during the Civil War
• Elected in 1860 as VP under Lincoln
• Became President in 1861 after Lincoln
  assassination
• Campaigned against Amendment 14
• Angered both houses of Congress with vetoes and
  appointments

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Charges against Johnson

• Serious Misconduct - Violation of the Tenure of
  Office Act
• The President has traditionally controlled the
  membership of his Cabinet. The Tenure of Office
  Act limited this power. President Johnson
  dismissed Edwin Stanton as Secretary of War
  without congressional approval, not once but
  twice.

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Process against Johnson

• February 24, 1868
• The House of Representatives voted to impeach
  President Johnson on 11 articles.
• March 30, 1868
• The trial to remove President Johnson begins in
  the Senate.
• May 16, 1868
• The Senate votes - at least 36 must vote to
  convict President Johnson and remove him from
  office.

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And the vote is

• 35 to 19 (one short of the required number!)
• President Johnson is acquitted and serves the
  rest of his term
• When his term is over, he returns to Tennessee,
  and is elected to the U.S. Senate in 1874
• Andrew Johnson died in 1875

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Impeachment of the President

• Three Case Studies
• 1. Andrew Johnson
• 2. Richard Nixon
• 3. William Clinton

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Richard Nixon

• A former Representative and then Senator from
  California
• Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower
• Elected President in 1968
• Re-elected in 1972
• Evidence surfaced that he was involved in a
  criminal action prior to his re-election - a
  break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters
  at the Watergate Hotel

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Chargers against Nixon

• Obstruction of Justice cover up of the
  Watergate break-in
• Abuse of Power receiving information not
  necessary for his job
• Contempt of Congress refusal to produce papers
  requested by Congress

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Process against Nixon

• July 27, 1974
• The House Judiciary Committee approves the
  first of three impeachment charges.
• July 28, 1974
• The HJC approves the third of three charges.
• July 28, 1974
• The HJC approves the third of three charges.
• August 9, 1974
• Richard Nixon resigns the office of President.

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And Nixon said

• I have never been a quitter. To leave office
  before my term is completed is abhorrent to every
  instinct in my body. But as President, I must put
  the interest of America first. America needs a
  full-time President and a full-time Congress,
  particularly at this time with problems we face
  at home and abroad.

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• To continue to fight through the months ahead
  for my personal vindication would almost totally
  absorb the time and attention of both the
  President and the Congress in a period when our
  entire focus should be on the great issues of
  peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at
  home.
• Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency
  effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford
  will be sworn in as President at that hour in
  this office.

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Impeachment of the President

• Three Case Studies
• 1. Andrew Johnson
• 2. Richard Nixon
• 3. William Clinton

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William (Bill) Clinton

• A former Governor of Alabama.
• Elected President in 1992.
• Re-elected in 1996.
• Evidence surfaced that he was involved in the
  abuse of the power of his office while Governor
  of Alabama in having an illicit sexual affair
  with Paula Jones.

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Charges against Clinton

• Perjury before the Independent Counsel, Kenneth
  Starr, relating to the Paula Jones case
• Perjury in the Paula Jones civil case
• Obstruction of justice by committing perjury
  before the Senate Judiciary Committee concerning
  the Jones case

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Process against Clinton

• December 19, 1998
• The House of Representatives voted to impeach
  President Clinton on 2 articles (not on perjury
  in the Jones civil suit).
• January 7, 1999
• The trial to remove President Clinton begins in
  the Senate.
• February 12, 1999
• The Senate votes - at least 67 must vote to
  convict President Clinton and remove him from
  office.

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And the vote is

• 45 to 55 (well short of a majority, much less the
  required two-thirds vote) on Article 1, and 50 to
  50 (just short of a majority) on Article 3.
• President Clinton is acquitted and serves the
  rest of his term
• Vice President Al Gore runs for President in
  2000, and loses, some think, because of the
  Clinton Connection.

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Internet Resources - Johnson

• http//www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com/
• http//www.ibiscom.com/john.htm
• http//www.crf-usa.org/impeachment/impeachment1.h
  tml
• http//teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/thumbnail2
  16.html

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Internet Resources - Nixon

• http//www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rn37
  .html
• http//www.gatorcorporation.com/help/hd_postyes40
  /hd-post-yes40-p1f.html
• http//www.colonize.com/p/a.php?an001001189

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Internet Resources - Clinton

• http//www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/impeachm
  ents/clinton.htm
• http//www.nytimes.com/library/politics/clintonle
  winsky-index.html
• http//academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/johnson
  /clintontimeline.htm