On This Day - February 24, 2026

Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler attained her medical degree from the New England Female Medical College becoming the first African American woman to become a physician. Following her graduation, Dr. Crumpler dedicated her practice to the care of newly freed slaves. She would return to Boston and carry on her practice there.

High drama continues in the hallowed halls of government when the House of Representatives impeaches President Andrew Johnson. How did Johnson become the first president to be impeached? He was charged with violating the Tenure of Office Act which Congress passed in the spring of 1867. The act was designed to prevent the Democratic president from replacing Cabinet members selected by the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln and making it difficult for Radical Republicans to further their path of Reconstruction. Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, motivating the House to bring charges of impeachment against the president. However, the Senate would find Johnson not guilty six weeks later.