Impeachment audiobook cover - An American History

Impeachment

An American History

Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali and Peter Baker

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Impeachment
Origins & Intent+
Andrew Johnson (1868)+
Richard Nixon (1974)+
Bill Clinton (1990s)+
Impact on Democracy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
Why did the Framers of the Constitution intentionally make the phrase 'high crimes and misdemeanors' vague?
  • A. To ensure future Congresses could adapt the process to unforeseen types of presidential abuses.
  • B. To allow the Supreme Court to strictly define the exact crimes at a later date.
  • C. To make it easier for the House of Representatives to impeach a president for mere incompetence.
  • D. To discourage the use of impeachment entirely by making it legally unenforceable.
Question 2 of 7
According to the book's interpretation of the Constitution, does a president have to commit a statutory crime to be impeached?
  • A. Yes, the Constitution explicitly requires a felony conviction before impeachment proceedings can begin.
  • B. No, a president can be impeached simply for paving the way for a crime to be committed or doing nothing to stop it.
  • C. Yes, but only if the crime involves treason or bribery as strictly defined by the Supreme Court.
  • D. No, a president can be impeached simply if their public approval ratings drop below a certain threshold.
Question 3 of 7
What was the primary historical lesson established by the 1868 impeachment of President Andrew Johnson?
  • A. Impeaching a president solely because of intense political dislike, without a clear violation of the law, threatens the balance of power.
  • B. Presidents cannot be impeached for vetoing civil rights legislation or opposing constitutional amendments.
  • C. The Tenure of Office Act is the only constitutionally valid way to remove a sitting president.
  • D. A president must be physically present in the Senate during their impeachment trial to guarantee a fair process.
Question 4 of 7
How did the Richard Nixon impeachment crisis permanently impact the concept of 'executive privilege'?
  • A. It expanded executive privilege to cover all communications between the president and their campaign staff.
  • B. It eliminated executive privilege entirely, making all presidential conversations public record.
  • C. A Supreme Court ruling set limits on how much evidence a president could withhold using executive privilege.
  • D. It established that only the House Judiciary Committee can grant executive privilege to a sitting president.
Question 5 of 7
Why did the Republican strategy to embarrass Bill Clinton by releasing the sordid details of his affair ultimately fail?
  • A. The Supreme Court ruled that sexual indiscretions are protected under the First Amendment.
  • B. The American public's views on morality and marital infidelity had loosened by the late 1990s.
  • C. Kenneth Starr refused to publish the details of his investigation in his final report.
  • D. Clinton successfully invoked attorney-client privilege to keep the Lewinsky details permanently classified.
Question 6 of 7
According to the text, what has been the crucial factor in successfully shepherding the United States through past impeachment crises?
  • A. The willingness of the Supreme Court to intervene and stop partisan House investigations.
  • B. A spirit of bipartisanship and constitutional duty, particularly among members of the Senate.
  • C. The rapid resignation of the president before the Senate could hold a formal trial.
  • D. The implementation of strict gag orders by the Chief Justice to prevent media coverage.
Question 7 of 7
Before Donald Trump, three US presidents faced impeachment crises. What was the outcome for Richard Nixon?
  • A. He resigned before the House of Representatives could follow through with his formal impeachment.
  • B. He was impeached by the House but narrowly acquitted by the Senate.
  • C. He was the only president in US history to be successfully impeached and removed from office by the Senate.
  • D. He was impeached by the House and subsequently pardoned by the Supreme Court before the Senate trial.

Impeachment — Full Chapter Overview

Impeachment Summary & Overview

Impeachment (2018) details how the Framers of the US Constitution envisioned the process of removing a president, and how the three impeachment proceedings prior to Trump’s have played out. Spanning the years right after the American Revolution to the late twentieth century, Impeachment looks at how the Framers imagined impeachment as a safety valve for democracy, as well as how Congress used impeachment to sanction Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. 

Who Should Listen to Impeachment?

  • News junkies who’ve read every think piece about the Trump impeachment
  • History hounds obsessed with the American experiment 
  • Anyone looking for a better grasp on current US affairs

About the Author: Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali and Peter Baker

Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, and Timothy Naftali are lauded authors and presidential historians; Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times. Collectively they have founded presidential history scholarly research centers, run presidential libraries, authored several dozen books about presidents and international history, and won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.

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