Why was Andrew Johnson impeached by Congress?
I was impeached because I stood in the way of the Radical Republicans' reckless ambition. They sought to punish the South and fundamentally alter the balance of power between the federal government and the states. My adherence to the Constitution, my belief that the Union should be restored without punitive conditions, and my defense of states' rights were seen as obstacles to their agenda. They twisted laws, like the Tenure of Office Act, into a pretext to remove a President who refused to bend to their will. My impeachment was a political prosecution, a desperate attempt by a radical faction to seize control.
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