Historical Look at Impeachment

With our current political climate all about impeachment, I thought I'd take a look at how these things were handled in Colonial times.

Impeachment wasn't new, even at the start of the colonies on American soil. The term and usage of impeachment date back to the Middle Ages. For as long as there have been leaders, there have been those who wish to be rid of them. Some were ousted for legitimate reasons, others not so much.

The impeachments in England differed quite a bit from what it has evolved into here in the colonies - er - states. Those impeachments were a vehicle for forcing the monarchy into line with the will of the people in many instances, and with limited success.

Today's impeachment is a vehicle for a leader - not just a president, but any elected or appointed leader - to be removed after conviction of a high crime or high misdemeanor. I'm not going to attempt to unravel that kitten's ball of yarn here.

In Colonial times, even though the colonies were subject to the Crown, they handled their disputes mostly "in house." I found one reference of an exiled person who was sent back to England - Thomas Morton - on the hopes that the Crown would deal with him. But he wasn't imprisoned in England, and he actually returned to the colonies to stir up more trouble later.

So what did the colonists do to people they wanted to be rid of? They exiled them. Tossed them out on their proverbial ears. That may not seem harsh today with our 24/7 communication devices and air travel, but back then it was devastating. To be exiled was to potentially be lost to one's family and friends forever. To be exiled was considered a far more damaging sentence than to be impeached.

Even then, impeachment was viewed as a rather weak and ineffective way to settle an issue.

Pegg Thomas - Writing History with a Touch of Humor