When America's Founding Fathers were setting up the new government, they wanted to ensure their leaders would be held accountable. For that reason, they established rules and regulations around the practice of impeachment—the ability to charge, convict, and remove a public official should he or she become corrupted by power or fail to carry out the duties of the office. Today, the impeachment process remains one of the most serious government functions. It is rarely used, but its potential to alter the political landscape is great. Though many Americans are aware of the concept of impeachment, the details can be obscure. This book gets to the root of the impeachment process, with facts about its origins in medieval England, its place in the U.S. Constitution, and instances where impeachment proceedings have been launched in American history. From the roles of the House of Representatives and the Senate in an impeachment trial to current debates around impeachment, this volume of the Know Your Government series gives you all the tools you need to grasp one of the most misunderstood legal procedures.