How Did Johnson Contribute To The Civil War

His supporters back in Tennessee were very much in favor of secession from the Union. This act alone drew a line between Johnson and his deep rooted common man supporters. Lifelong supporters turned against him. On the opposite side, Johnson was hailed as a hero and President Abraham Lincoln asked him to meet with him to hear his views.
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the US. He was from Illinois and a member of the anti-slavery Republican Party. In December that same year, South Carolina, a slave state, seceded from the Union. Six more Southern states followed shortly after. The U. S. Civil War started in 1861 and that year Tennessee voters decided to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. Johnson traveled
Congress wanted a more severe punishment to those who supported the South and better laws to take better care of the former slaves. Johnson would not go along with any of this and vetoed these bills. He said that he stood for state's rights and wanted the states to make these laws. In 1867 after having a difficult time with the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, Johnson suspended him pending the next session of the Senate. This was a direct violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The Tenure of Office Act restricted the power of the President to suspend an officer while the Senate was not in session. Further, Johnson tried to appoint someone else to take Stanton's place. When the Senate came back in session, they refused to remove Stanton from Johnson's cabinet. This set the motion for the impeachment of the president. The impeachment trial took place in the Senate directed by the Supreme Court on March 13, 1968. Note http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-andrew-johnson-impeached The Senate needed a two thirds majority to convict Johnson and turn him out of office. After a ten day recess on May 26,1968 the vote was 35-19. It was one vote short of a conviction. He served out his term as president quietly