[Illustration:  ANDREW JOHNSON.]

[Sidenote:  Elections of 1866.]

[Sidenote:  Tenure of Office Act, 1867.]

[Sidenote:  The Reconstruction Acts, 1867.]

[Sidenote:  Process of reconstruction. Source-Book, 344-346.]

442.  The Reconstruction Acts, 1867.—­The Congressional elections of November, 1866, were greatly in favor of the Republicans.  The Republican members of Congress felt that this showed that the North was with them in their policy as to reconstruction.  Congress met in December, 1866, and at once set to work to carry out this policy.  First of all it passed the Tenure of Office Act to prevent Johnson dismissing Republicans from office.  Then it passed the Reconstruction Act.  Johnson vetoed both of these measures, and Congress passed them both over his veto.  The Reconstruction Act was later amended and strengthened.  It will be well to describe here the process of reconstruction in its final form.  First of all the seceded states, with the exception of Tennessee, were formed into military districts.  Each district was ruled by a military officer who had soldiers to carry out his directions.  Tennessee was not included in this arrangement, because it had accepted the Fourteenth Amendment.  But all the other states, which had been reconstructed by Lincoln or by Johnson, were to be reconstructed over again.  The franchise was given to all men, white or black, who had lived in any state for one year—­excepting criminals and persons who had taken part in rebellion.  This exception took the franchise away from the old rulers of the South.  These new voters could form a state constitution and elect a legislature which should ratify the Fourteenth Amendment.  When all this had been done, Senators and Representatives from the reconstructed state might be admitted to Congress.

[Sidenote:  Charges against Johnson.]

[Sidenote:  He is impeached.]

[Sidenote:  But not convicted.]

443.  Impeachment of Johnson, 1868.—­President Johnson had vetoed all these bills.  He had declared that the Congress was a Congress of only a part of the states, because Representatives from the states reconstructed according to his ideas were not admitted.  He had used language toward his opponents that was fairly described as indecent and unbecoming the chief officer of a great nation.  Especially he had refused to be bound by the Tenure of Office Act.  Ever since the formation of the government the Presidents had removed officers when they saw fit.  The Tenure of Office Act required the consent of the Senate to removals as well as to appointments.  Among the members of Lincoln’s cabinet who were still in office was Edwin M. Stanton.  Johnson removed him, and this brought on the crisis.  The House impeached the President.  The Senate, presided over by Chief Justice Chase, heard the impeachment.  The Constitution requires the votes of two-thirds of the Senators to convict.  Seven Republicans voted with the Democrats against conviction, and the President was acquitted by one vote.