Semester Award Granted
Spring 2025
Submission Date
May 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Stephen Engle
Abstract
On February 24th, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson, and in May of that same year, he would be acquitted in the United States Senate by one vote. At the center of these events were the seven Republican Senators who defected from their party and found the President not guilty. This thesis examines the conflicts between Johnson and the Radical Republicans, framing this within the broader political context of the era as the key to understanding the political nature of Johnson’s 1868 trial. This politicization culminated in the Tenure of Office Act, which was both protectionist and antagonistic and further discredited the validity of impeachment as a judicial process. Using correspondence, contemporary press coverage, and the debates of Congress, this thesis argues that moral fear over a broken constitutional system drove the seven “Defectors” to cast their votes, ultimately saving both the President and the American constitutional system.
Recommended Citation
Cohen, Benjamin Maxwell, "THE SINGLE VOTE: THE SENATORS WHO ACQUITTED ANDREW JOHNSON" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 83.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/83