Lincoln Nominated For President; Andrew Johnson Skirts Impeachment: Today In History

May 16, 2017, is the 136th day of the year, with 229 days remaining. The moon is in a waning gibbous phase, with illumination at 74 percent.

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The day Abraham Lincoln was nominated for president

Abraham Lincoln has one of the most popularized stories of all American presidents. At the 1860 Republican convention in Chicago, Lincoln was selected as the presidential candidate for what was the Republican Party of the time. Lincoln was a one-time U.S. representative from Illinois, and in the ensuing November election, he faced Democrat Sen. Stephen Douglas, Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell.

What was Lincoln up to before he was nominated? Warning: Video contains some strong language.

One vote to rule them all: Andrew Johnson's acquittal

The year is 1868, and the Senate is holding a vote on presidential impeachment.

Eighty years after the 1787 framing of the Constitution, a singular question was often raised: “If the Senate is responsible for confirming appointees, does it also have a role in removing them?”

The U.S. Senate’s website describes Johnson's impeachment as a complex story, one stemming from his repeated clashing with the Republican-controlled Congress over reconstruction of the defeated South. On May 16, the Senate voted 35 to 19 to remove Johnson from office — one vote shy of the necessary two-thirds. Seven Republican senators had defied their party’s leadership and voted in favor of acquitting the president.

For more American history, Patch has you covered.

Photo credit: U.S. Senate