What was the Tenure of Office Act, and how did it relate to Johnson's impeachment?

• A. It restricted the ability of Congress to impeach the President.
• B. It required Senate approval to remove certain officeholders; Johnson's removal of Edwin Stanton violated it, precipitating impeachment.
• C. It allowed the President to appoint cabinet members without Senate approval.
• D. It mandated presidential term limits.

Answer: (B)

The central idea here is how the Tenure of Office Act limited the President’s power and how that limitation played into Johnson’s impeachment. The Act was designed to curb presidential authority by requiring the Senate’s consent before certain high officials could be removed from office. It especially targeted officials who had been appointed with Senate approval, like Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, who was aligned with congressional Reconstruction policies.

Johnson ran into trouble because he dismissed Stanton without Senate confirmation, arguing the President should be able to remove officials at will. By removing Stanton in defiance of the Act, he triggered charges that he had violated the law. That violation became a central basis for impeachment, illustrating the struggle between the presidency and Congress over power during Reconstruction. Although Johnson was impeached by the House, the Senate did not convict, so he remained in office.