Would the Founders Convict Trump and Bar Him From Office?
They believed as a matter of civic principle that ethical leadership is the glue that holds a constitutional republic together.
By Eli Merritt
Dr. Merritt is a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University, where he is researching the history and psychology of demagogues and writing a book about the American Revolution.
Feb. 9, 2021
Delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.Credit.DeAgostini/Getty Images
If the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were sitting today as jurors in the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, one thing seems certain based on the historical record. Acting with vigor and dispatch, they would cast two near unanimous votes: first, to convict the president of an impeachable offense, and second, to disqualify him from holding future federal office.
Nicholas Fandos, a congressional correspondent who is reporting on his second presidential impeachment, talks about what seems similar and what feels different.
The Trump Trial Wouldnât Have Been Possible Without This Impeachment
The House managers in 1876 thought they had established a precedent. They did not count on modern Republicans.
Secretary of War William Belknap resigned moments before being impeached in 1876.Credit.Library of Congress/Corbis VCG, via Getty Images
By Richard White
Mr. White is a historian who has written extensively about Reconstruction, the Gilded Age and the making of modern America. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Feb. 8, 2021
What is the purpose of impeachment? Is it remedial â a political measure designed to protect the country from the actions of corrupt officials and prevent them from doing future harm? Or is it punitive â a judicial measure designed only to punish current officeholders by stripping them of office?