Stevens, Thaddeus, 1792-1868
Biography
Thaddeus Stevens was born on April 4, 1792 in Daville, Vermont. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1814. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s. A fierce opponent of slavery and discrimination against African-Americans, Stevens sought to secure their rights during Reconstruction, in opposition to U.S. President Andrew Johnson. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee during the American Civil War, he played a leading role, focusing his attention on defeating the Confederacy, financing the war with new taxes and borrowing, crushing the power of slave owners, ending slavery, and securing equal rights for the Freedmen. Stevens died on August 11, 1868.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Lancaster to Howard M. Jenkins. , Letter
Stevens criticizes the newspapers and suggests that they should publish his speech from the Massachusetts Convention Resolutions.