Thaddeus Stevens: The Radical Republican Activist

Who was Thaddeus Stevens? Mr. Stevens was an important member of the House of Representatives while Abraham Lincoln held office. Stevens was also one of the key leaders of the Radical Republican Movement of the 1860’s (“Thaddeus Stevens”). Thaddeus was against the South and the thought of inequality, mainly towards slaves and poor whites (Engdahl). He believed the suffrage of blacks was wrong and the South should be punished for causing devastation during the Civil War. In 1867, Thaddeus Stevens presented the “Speech in Favor of Black Suffrage” to the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. He tried to to convince the house to punish the South by making them “pay” for the damages incurred from the civil war (Stevens).
In 1867, the Military
Early in his career he gained a hatred for bondage and inequality (Engdahl). Soon he spoke out against slavery and supported ideas like public schools and even the bank. In 1849, he was elected to the House of Representatives, and later became apart of the new Republican Party. Mr. Stevens believed in civil rights and helped many slaves on the Underground Railroad escape to Canada. Soon, the abolishment of slavery became Stevens main focus in the political sphere. Thaddeus Stevens had a large role in the reconstruction of the South, later serving on the joint committee on reconstruction, which drafted the Reconstruction Act of 1867 (“Thaddeus Stevens Biography”). Stevens views on slavery and reconstruction brought about feuding with President Andrew Johnson (Rowe).
The 14th Amendment was drafted and didn’t allow states governments to deny citizens life, liberty and property in 1866 (“Thaddeus Stevens Biography”). This amendment is exactly what Thaddeus Stevens always believed in; the equality of all citizens. Stevens entire life was always struggles and debates but he became good at what he did throughout his life by becoming a lawyer and later being being a successful