The Impeachment Proceedings Of Presidents Andrew Johnson,...

This assignment asks us to compare and contrast the impeachment proceedings of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and William Clinton, while identifying the ethical dilemmas presented by each. In addition, students are to categorize the ethical violations of each President by severity and discuss whether the actions by the Senate were politically motivated or ethical. The initial similarity obviously lies in the fact that these three gentlemen belong to a very small club of which they are the only members; Presidents who have been impeached. President Clinton underwent impeachment proceedings but was not impeached, those who brought impeachment proceedings were unable to muster enough votes to formally impeach him. President Andrew Johnson also underwent impeachment proceedings but again, those who sought to discredit him were also unable to muster the needed votes, so he too remained in office. President Nixon resigned before he was ousted. An examination of why each of the three were impeached will give us a better understanding of the political climate of the respective times and why Presidents Clinton and Johnson were able to remain in office when President Nixon was forced out. According to History Place.com, Andrew Johnson was â€Å"a self-educated man of humble origin†¦ Abraham Lincoln s vice president during his second term, he became President upon the assassination of Lincoln in April of 1865†. (Johnson,  ¶4). Johnson had no formal schooling but â€Å"discoveredShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Our Safeguard Against Corruption Performed By Federal Officeholders?1422 Words   |  6 Pagesperformed by federal officeholders? It is impeachment. Impeachment is the Constitutional power given to the House of Representatives to remove a federal officeholder from office. â€Å"Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says, ‘The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’. (Longley). The power of impeachment has historical significance as only four