Table of Contents
- 1 What is the Stanton act?
- 2 Why did president Andrew Johnson challenge the Tenure of Office Act?
- 3 How did the Tenure of Office Act reflect the tension between Congress and President Johnson?
- 4 How did President Andrew Johnson undermine these attempts?
- 5 Who has the authority to fire the head of the government?
- 6 Is it not the first time we’ve seen congressional dysfunction?
What is the Stanton act?
Johnson’s attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office without the Senate’s approval led to the impeachment of Johnson in early 1868 for violating the act….Tenure of Office Act (1867)
| Long title | An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices |
| Enacted by | the 39th United States Congress |
| Legislative history |
|---|
What did the Tenure of Office Act say?
Tenure of Office Act, (March 2, 1867), in the post-Civil War period of U.S. history, law forbidding the president to remove civil officers without senatorial consent. The law was passed over Pres. Andrew Johnson’s veto by Radical Republicans in Congress in their struggle to wrest control of Reconstruction from Johnson.
Did Andrew Johnson veto the Tenure of Office Act?
The Tenure of Office Act, passed over the veto of President Andrew Johnson on March 2, 1867, provided that all federal officials whose appointment required Senate confirmation could not be removed without the consent of the Senate.
Why did president Andrew Johnson challenge the Tenure of Office Act?
The Tenure of Office Act had been passed over Johnson’s veto in 1867 and stated that a President could not dismiss appointed officials without the consent of Congress. Johnson believed the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional and wanted it to be legally tried in the courts.
What does impeaching someone mean?
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. Most commonly, an official is considered impeached after the house votes to accept the charges, and impeachment itself does not remove the official from office.
Who was elected president in 1868?
Elected President The 1868 United States presidential election was the 21st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1868. In the first election of the Reconstruction Era, Republican nominee Ulysses S. Grant defeated Horatio Seymour of the Democratic Party.
How did the Tenure of Office Act reflect the tension between Congress and President Johnson?
By passing the Tenure of Office Act on March 2, 1867 over Johnson’s veto, the members of Johnson’s cabinet were supposedly shielded from losing their positions if they disagreed with the president.
How did Congress use the Tenure of Office Act to weaken President Johnson’s authority over reconstruction?
In March 1867, in order further to weaken Johnson’s authority, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act over his veto. The act prohibited the president from removing federal office holders, including Cabinet members, who had been confirmed by the Senate, without the consent of the Senate.
Who did President Johnson fire?
| Impeachment of Andrew Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Charges | Eleven high crimes and misdemeanors |
| Cause | Violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to replace Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, while Congress was not in session and other abuses of presidential power |
| Congressional votes | |
| Voting in the U.S. House of Representatives |
How did President Andrew Johnson undermine these attempts?
In his speeches, interviews, vetoes, and annual messages, President Johnson tried to preempt and then undermine Congressional Reconstruction by deeming the Republican experiment in black citizenship a failure, and by portraying former Confederates as victims of Republican misrule.
What was ratified in 1967?
Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment, the rules of succession to the Presidency were constitutionally vague. Congress approved the 25th Amendment on July 6, 1965. The states completed ratification by February 10, 1967, and President Lyndon Johnson certified the amendment on February 23, 1967.
Can a former president run again?
The amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected president twice from being elected again. Under the amendment, someone who fills an unexpired presidential term lasting more than two years is also prohibited from being elected president more than once.
The US President, as the Chief Executive, has the authority to fire anyone employed by any executive department, or appointed to any position within the executive branch of the US government. Why can’t the US President fire the head of the post office?
Did president Wilson need Senate approval before firing Postmaster General Myers?
Under an 1876 federal law, presidents needed the advice and consent of the Senate to hire and fire first-, second-, and third-class postmasters. Wilson did not seek Senate approval before firing Myers.
What happened to President Kennedy’s domestic agenda?
When Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy in November 1963, most of the president’s domestic agenda was stalled. In Life magazine’s memorial issue for JFK in December, the lead article by the editors warned: “The 88th Congress, before the assassination, had sat longer than any peacetime Congress in memory while accomplishing practically nothing.
Is it not the first time we’ve seen congressional dysfunction?
The good news is that this is not the first time we’ve despaired over congressional dysfunction. In fact, in the years leading up to one of the biggest outbursts of legislative productivity—the passage of the Great Society in 1965 and 1966—there was a huge chorus of critics who decried the inaction of Congress.