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Impeachment: An American History
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
64 posts | 5 read | 9 to read
Four experts on the American presidency examine the three times impeachment has been invoked--against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton--and explain what it means today. Impeachment is a double-edged sword. Though it was designed to check tyrants, Thomas Jefferson also called impeachment "the most formidable weapon for the purpose of a dominant faction that was ever contrived." On the one hand, it nullifies the will of voters, the basic foundation of all representative democracies. On the other, its absence from the Constitution would leave the country vulnerable to despotic leadership. It is rarely used, and with good reason. Only three times has a president's conduct led to such political disarray as to warrant his potential removal from office, transforming a political crisis into a constitutional one. None has yet succeeded. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for failing to kowtow to congressional leaders--and, in a large sense, for failing to be Abraham Lincoln--yet survived his Senate trial. Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 after the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against him for lying, obstructing justice, and employing his executive power for personal and political gain. Bill Clinton had an affair with a White House intern, but in 1999 he faced trial in the Senate less for that prurient act than for lying under oath about it. In the first book to consider these three presidents alone--and the one thing they have in common--Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, and Peter Baker explain that the basis and process of impeachment is more political than legal. The Constitution states that the president "shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors," leaving room for historical precedent and the temperament of the time to weigh heavily on each case. This book reveals the complicated motives behind each impeachment--never entirely limited to the question of a president's guilt--and the risks to all sides. Each case depended on factors beyond the president's behavior: his relationship with Congress, the polarization of the moment, and the power and resilience of the office itself. This is a realist view of impeachment that looks to history for clues about its potential use in the future.
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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A great and detailed review of impeachment, what it is, and what the process has looked like through the years. Would definitely recommend to those studying the topic

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Short version: it‘s not over and may never be over, but that‘s why we have systems in place. #impeachment #jeffreyengel #futurepredictions #spoilers #president #presidentialelections #trump2024 #donaldtrump #uspolitics #politicalscience #elections

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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I just love this quote from our author, Jeffrey Engel! #impeachment #jeffreyengel #richardnixon #politicalscience #uspolitics #history #ushistory

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Did I mention that I love irony? It‘s ironic to me that recording and listening to private conversations created the downfall of Richard Nixon. Here was a president who listened in on his political rivals, denied it for years, then several recorded private conversations admitting what he did was used against him forcing him to resign. #politics #impeachment #jeffreyengel #richardnixon #spying #recording #history #uspolitics #ushistory

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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After Clinton was acquitted, he was asked if he can forgive and forget. His response… #billclinton #impeachment #peterbaker #ushistory #uspolitics #history #politics #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica #acquittal #forgiveness

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Sometimes getting along hinders the process, especially if groupthink is evident. We know this from business, but Bill Clinton‘s team applied it to politics. As long as the senate keeps debating, Clinton isn‘t removed from office. #impeachment #peterbaker #billclinton #senate #trial #monicalewinsky #history #politicalscience #uspolitics #ushistory #unitedstates #presidency

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Should I ever teach history, I want to teach my students to put themselves in the shoes of historical figures or people of the time period. If I ever get to teach college level 1990s presidential history, I promise you there will be an assignment dedicated to what the lawyers might have said when breaking the news to Hillary of Clinton‘s confession #confession #hillaryclinton #billclinton #impeachment #peterbaker #ushistory #uspolitics

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Interesting how Hillary wrote a memo and did research on presidential impeachment- I love foreshadowing in history. #foreshadowing #irony #hillaryrodham #hillaryclinton #richardnixon #billclinton #impeachment #uspolitics #ushistory #history #politicalscience #presidency #peterbaker

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Let‘s play a fun game called how many quotes can we read that we can apply to today? #billclinton #impeachment #peterbaker #unitedstates #uspresidency #uspolitics #ushistory #corruption #history #politicalscience

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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One positive from the Nixon investigation- both parties were willing to investigate to get to the truth. #impeachment #timothynaftali #richardnixon #resignation #bipartisan #houseofrepresentatives #senate #ushistory #uspolitics #investigation #history #politicalscience

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Nixon did a lot of shady things, but this impeachment focused on agency abuse and obstruction of justice. #nixon #richardnixon #impeachment #timothynaftali politics #ushistory #uspresidency #history #politicalscience

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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I rarely cover vocab on here, but thought I would share a new word: #mugwumps #impeachment #socialstudies #vocab #timothynaftali #ushistory #history #teaching

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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So I like this quote because it reminds me of the Trump trials today. No matter what evidence is presented against Trump, his supporters will always find a way to rationalize it. #impeachment #timothynaftali #richardnixon #psychology #politicalscience #ushistory #uspolitics #history

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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It‘s more of an end of the chapter question, but I‘m going to ask it now. I think we can all see this will not end well. However, how would things have been different if Nixon had just cooperated and handed over what he was asked to hand over from the beginning? #discussion #richardnixon #impeachment #politicalscience #uspolitics #history #ushistory

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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We need more politicians like Lincoln who accept defeat and is willing to work with the administration to transition #abrahamlincoln #impeachment #jonmeacham #andrewjohnson #history #ushistory #politicalscience #uspolitics #kindlequotes

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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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Owls31092
Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A Engel
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