<P> This was the first impeachment of a President since creation of the office in 1789 . The culmination of a lengthy political battle between Johnson , a lifelong Democrat and the Republican majority in Congress over how best to deal with the defeated Southern states following the conclusion of the American Civil War , the impeachment , and the subsequent trial ( and acquittal ) of Johnson were among the most dramatic events in the political life of the nation during the Reconstruction Era . Together , they have gained a historical reputation as an act of political expedience , rather than necessity , which was based on Johnson 's defiance of an unconstitutional piece of legislation , and which was conducted with little regard for the will of a general public which , despite the unpopularity of Johnson , opposed the impeachment . </P>
who is the first president to be impeached
Johnson