The extreme resistance from the South greatly angered Northern Republicans with many wondering why they fought the Civil War. In the mid-term Congressional elections of 1866, the Republican party nominated candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate people who supported punishing the South. These Republicans, known as Radical Republicans, deeply opposed President Johnson.
Johnson fought back by embarking on a nation-wide campaign known as the "Swing Around the Circle" tour. It backfired. His public speaking was so bad that some observers wondered if the President was under the influence of alcohol during his speeches. Since he gave the same speech at every stop, people started to mock (make fun of) him.
Johnson became so unpopular that the Radical Republicans swept the Elections of 1866. For the first time in U.S. history a party in Congress had a veto-proof majority. This meant that they controlled two-thirds of all of the seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate. For the next two years, the President was powerless to prevent a bill from becoming a law if all of the Republicans agreed.
In this activity, you will review the events that sent President Johnson down to a huge defeat in the Election of 1866. With each correct answer, you will send the president tumbling.
The Election of 1866 ended Presidential Reconstruction and began a period of Reconstruction run by the Radical Republicans, known by three names: Radical Reconstruction, Congressional Reconstruction, and Military Reconstruction.
However it's called, the North was about to call a do-over on what to do when you knock someone down. Instead of extending a helping hand, it was time to try the kick. That kick would apply to President Johnson as well. It was not enough to take away almost all of his power as president, but he would soon find himself facing impeachment.