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Today in History: President Andrew Johnson Vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866
03/27/10
On March 27, 1866, President Andrew Johnson exercised his veto power in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to prevent the Civil Rights Act of 1866 from becoming law. This landmark legislation of the Reconstruction Era conferred the full rights of citizenship—including equal protection under the law—to all people born in the United States, regardless of race. It was intended to protect African Americans from discrimination in housing, employment, and other areas under state law.
Johnson explained his reasoning for the veto in an impassioned message to Congress. He claimed that it infringed upon states’ rights, granted excessive power to the federal government, and threatened to undermine the process of readmitting former Confederate states to the Union. The president also questioned whether African Americans deserved to possess and exercise the full rights of citizenship.
Johnson’s veto message failed to sway his fellow Republicans in Congress, however. They overrode Johnson’s veto and passed the Civil Rights Bill anyway, making it the first major piece of legislation in U.S. history to pass over a presidential veto. Johnson remained at odds with Congress and politically isolated for the remainder of his presidency. The guarantees of equal protection and due process introduced in the Civil Rights Act of 1866 were later enshrined in the U.S. Constitution with the passage of the 14th Amendment.
Read the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866
Read ANDREW JOHNSON’S VETO MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
Read the 14TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION