The 1866 Midterm Election

President Andrew Johnson’s attempt to reconstruct the United States on the basis of white supremacy following the Civil War triggered a constitutional crisis and a significant political backlash. By pardoning former Confederates and allowing the implementation of restrictive Black Codes, Johnson sought to restore the pre-war social order and the dominance of the Democratic Party. In response, Congressional Republicans refused to seat Southern representatives and drafted the Fourteenth Amendment to establish national citizenship and legal equality. Johnson’s aggressive opposition to these measures, characterized by his inflammatory "Swing Around the Circle" campaign tour and his failure to address white supremacist violence in cities like New Orleans, ultimately alienated the electorate. The 1866 midterm elections resulted in a Republican supermajority, enabling Congress to override Johnson’s policies and secure the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, fundamentally transforming the American legal landscape.