"All persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed, are hereby declared to be citizens of the United States; and such citizens, of every race and color... shall have the same right... to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give evidence." — Civil Rights Act of 1866
Andrew Johnson's veto of this act was significant because it:
- A
Forced the resignation of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton
- B
Triggered the immediate impeachment trial of Johnson
- Ccheck_circle
Marked the open break between the president and Congressional Republicans
- D
Ended Presidential Reconstruction by court order
Explanation
Johnson's veto, overridden by Congress, marked the decisive rupture between the president and Republican lawmakers, ushering in Congressional (Radical) Reconstruction in 1867.