. It is obvious from all this that the first duty of Congress is to pass a law declaring the condition of these outside or defunct States, and providing proper civil governments for them. Sarah Stevens took care of the farm and raised four Stevens brothers. In whom does the Constitution place the power? In the speech below which Stevens gave in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 1867 supporting the Reconstruction bill then being debated, he issued a response to those who said his call was radical and incendiary with a now famous quotation: I am for negro suffrage in every rebel State. To those white leaders, voting rights for the freedmen, as advocated by Radical Republicans, were out of the question. . practice justice to all men, and accustom themselves to make They were expected to suggest a plan for rebuilding a shattered nationa nation which though not dissevered was yet shaken and riven by the gigantic and persistent efforts of six million able and ardent men; of bitter rebels striving through four years of bloody war. The day before the Pennsylvania Senate had voted to repeal this act, but Stevens' speech moved the state House to vote against repeal and the Senate to take another vote in support of free public schools. To allow it would be yielding the whole question and admitting the unimpaired rights of the seceded States. Image Details The Joint Committee on Reconstruction, comprising members from the House and Senate, gathered testimony on conditions in the South from 144 witnesses. The former course would show valor and folly; the latter moral and physical courage, as well as prudence and wisdom. The President is for exonerating the conquered rebels from all the expense and damages of the war, and for compelling the loyal citizens to pay the whole debt caused by the rebellion. No said he , I claim the right to chastise the scoundrel. He followed the colored man, took out his revolver, and deliberately shot him dead in the presence of that community. . Thaddeus Stevens on the Great Topic of the Hour. That time ought to be present now. President Lincoln, Vice President Johnson, and both branches of Congress repeatedly declared that the belligerent States could never again intermeddle with the affairs of the Union, or claim any right as members of the United States Government until the legislative power of the Government should declare them entitled thereto. In that time, too, the loyal Congress could mature their laws and so amend the Constitution as to secure the rights of every human being and render disunion impossible. I can hardly believe that any person can be found who will not admit that every one of these provisions is just. Thaddeus studied at Caledonian Secondary School in Vermont, entered the University of Vermont, but was suspended in the second year and entered Dartmouth College to study law-related studies and delivered the commencement speech as a commencement speaker at the 1814 . Many Southern states quickly passed what became known as the Black Codesrepressive laws that governed where and when freedmen could go, the conditions under which they would work, and the limits on their gathering together. The infernal laws of slavery have prevented them from Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012) is a two-and-a-half hour film that zeroes in on a defining moment from near the end of the Civil War -January 1865 and the debate over the proposed amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. They, with their kindred Copperheads of the North, would always elect the President and control Congress. Nobody, I believe, pretends that with their old constitutions and frames of government they can be permitted to claim their old rights under the Constitution. He supported banks, internal improvements and public schools, and spoke out against slavery; Jacksonian Democrats; and Freemasons, believing that they were contriving plans to unfairly gain government positions. I need not Johnson's policies allowed many former Confederates to regain political power. Courtesy Library of Congress (LC-BH83-613), (1849) Charles Sumner, Equality Before the Law: Unconstitutionality of Separate Colored Schools in Massachusetts, (1963) Malcolm X, Message to the Grassroots, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. governed by martial law. As the nation edged toward Civil War, Stevens, now living in Pennsylvania, was elected to Congress in 1849 as an antislavery Republican. Mr. Speaker, that charge, as I have stated, is. The effect of this provision will be either to compel the States to grant universal suffrage or so to shear them of their power as to keep them forever in a hopeless minority in the national Government, both legislative and executive. Let us now refer to the provisions of the proposed amendment. Such a course would soon surrender the Government into the hands of rebels. . 251-252. Do not tell me that there are loyal representatives waiting for admissionuntil their States are loyal they can have no standing here. As a member of the joint Committee on Reconstruction, he played an important part in the preparation of the Fourteenth (due process) Amendment to the Constitution and the military reconstruction acts of 1867. . Thaddeus Stevens was a leading Radical Republican who championed such Reconstruction measures as harsh punishment for Confederate leaders and a strong federal role in reconstructing the governments of the former Confederate states and in ensuring equal rights for all in the south. On May 8, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens delivered this speech introducing the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives. acting in the Union, or of being counted as valid States, until what its framers intended; and so as to secure perpetual This Congress is bound to provide for them until they can Not in the judicial branch of Government, for it only adjudicates and does not prescribe laws. . If we fail in this great duty now, when we have the . Without it all are sure to be ruled by traitors; and loyal men, black and white, will be oppressed, exiled, or murdered. This becomes more and more necessary every day; and the late decision of the Supreme Court of the United States has rendered immediate action by Congress upon the question of the establishment of governments in the rebel States absolutely indispensable. The veto of the President and their votes on the bill are conclusive evidence of that. But the public mind has been educated in error for a century. I am now confining my arguments to negro suffrage in the rebel States. They had all been melted and consumed in the fierce fires of the terrible war. The confederate States refused to negotiate with the United States, except upon the basis of independence of perfect national equality. In this speech, Stevens called on his colleagues to support the proposed Fourteenth Amendmentarguing that it would help to bring about legal equality for African Americans. Thaddeus Stevens was a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who became the face of the opposition to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson's lenient approach to the South after the Civil War. . <> . I know they had fewer rulers and more subjects, but those rulers were no more despotic than ours, and their subjects had just as large privileges in governing the country as ours have. Let us at least escape that condition. The first section, prohibits the States from abridging the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States, or unlawfully depriving them of life, liberty, or property, or of denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. He served on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction and chaired the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. "Reconstruction," Hon. 251-252. . Thus much I have said at the outset of my remarks, which shall not be very long. They ought never to be recognized as capable of He must ask leave of Congress. The third section may encounter more difference of opinion here. The wagon of Watson was broken. Though the President is Commander-in-Chief, Congress is his commander; and, God willing, he shall obey. Stevens had a long history of opposition to slavery and was outraged over the secession of the South. Image 3 of Speech of Hon. One of the most atrocious murderers that has ever been let loose upon any community has lately been liberated under this very decision, because the Government extended it, perhaps according to the proper construction, to the conquered States as well as to the loyal States. After the Confederacy was defeated, the southern states were devastated BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. [Washington, D. . Now, Mr. Speaker, unless Congress proceeds at once to do something to protect these people from the barbarians who are now daily murdering them; who are murdering the loyal whites daily and daily putting into secret graves not only hundreds but thousands of the colored people of that country; unless Congress proceeds at once to adopt some means for their protection, I ask you and every man who loves liberty whether we will not be liable to the just censure of the world for our negligence or our cowardice or our want of ability to do so? Of course the rebels claimed no such rights; for whether their States were out of the Union as they declared, or were disorganized and out of their proper relations to the Government, as some subtle metaphysicians contend, their rights under the Constitution had all been renounced and abjured under oath, and could not be resumed on their own mere motion. to the territorial Legislatures, they will necessarily mingle The Southern territories could have non-voting representation, and it would be Congress, which would ensure that they could not exercise any power until Congress was convinced they would pose no further threat to the Union. We have imposed upon them the privilege of fighting our battles, of dying in defense of freedom, and of bearing their equal portion of taxes; but where have we given them the privilege of ever participating in the formation of the laws for the government of their native land? The leader of the Radical Republicans in the House, Stevens was a lawyer, politician, and staunch abolitionist. if we leave them to the legislation of their late masters, He was an early and ardent supporter of abolition of slavery. Congress insists on changing the basis of representation so as to put white voters on an equality in both sections, and that such change shall precede the admission of any State. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. They are all asserted, in some form or other, in our DECLARATION or organic law. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! During the last century Russia has been blessed with most remarkable emperors, who have generally decreed wise and just laws, but Russia is not free. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Thaddeus Stevens was born in Danville, Vermont, on April 4, 1792. The following speech lays out what he felt Congressional Reconstruction should encompass. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'wikisummaries_org-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_1',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-wikisummaries_org-large-mobile-banner-1-0');By the time Congress arrived to begin its session in December 1865, a confrontation between the two opposing systems of Reconstruction, as well as Johnson and Stevens, was imminent. I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his creator. We know Thaddeus Stevens as an ardent abolitionist who championed the rights of blacks for decadesup to, during, and after the Civil War. Omissions? We have even given them that highest and most agreeable evidence of liberty as defined by the great plebeian the right to work. But in what have we enlarged their liberty of thought? But great events fix the eye of history on small objects and magnify their meanness. white, will be oppressed, exiled, or murdered. The leader of the Radical Republicans in the House, Stevens was a lawyer, politician, and staunch abolitionist. In the midst of the political Babel which has been produced by the intermingling of secessionists, rebels, pardoned traitors, hissing Copperheads, and apostate Republicans, such a confusion of tongues is heard that it is difficult to understand either the questions that are asked or the answers that are given. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}The Candidates in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Race, Sen. John Fetterman Wants to Talk About Depression, 6 Key Players in Donald Trumps Indictment, The Story of President Ulysses S. Grants Arrest, Dianne Feinstein: 10 Issues She Has Worked On, What We Know About Mitch McConnells Fall. The same law which condemns or acquits an African should condemn or acquit a white man. Thus short of their power, they would soon become restive. And yet I am amazed and alarmed at the impatience of certain well-meaning Republicans at the exclusion of the rebel States until the Constitution shall be so amended as to restrain their despotic desires. He was the second son born to Sarah and Joshua Stevens, who disappeared when his son was a young boy, leaving his wife and children to fend for themselves with very little money. RECONSTRUCTION. This amendment supplies that defect, and allows Congress to correct the unjust legislation of the States, so far that the law which, operates upon one man shall operate equally upon all. ern members, with the Democrats that will in the best times This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thaddeus-Stevens, HistoryNet - Biography of Thaddeus Stevens, National Endowment for the Humanities - Biography of Thaddeus Stevens, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Thaddeus Stevens, Thaddeus Stevens - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). No other branch of the Government, no other Department, no other officer of the Government, possesses one single particle of the sovereignty of the nation. Some answer, Your civil rights bill [the Civil Rights Act of 1866] secures the same things. That is partly true, but a law is repealable by a majority. Dead men cannot raise themselves. Beyond this I do not agree that the policy of the parties are defined. Inaugurated on a cold March day 1853. be elected from the North, will always give a majority in inveterate rebels are invited to participate in our legislation. I know that there is a morbid sensibility, sometimes called mercy, which affects a few of all classes, from the priest to the clown, which has more sympathy for the murderer on the gallows than for his victim. The committee influenced the drafting and passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which upheld the citizenship rights . power, we shall deserve and receive the execration of In the middle of the decade he joined the newly formed Republican Party, which opposed extension of slavery into the western territories; again he was elected to Congress (185968), where he became, in the words of a fellow member, the natural leader, who assumed his place by common consent. He exerted this leadership by means of his sarcastic eloquence, his parliamentary skills, and his privileges as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and later of the Appropriations Committee. homesteads, and hedge them around with protective laws; There they can learn the principles of freedom and eat the fruit of foul rebellion. Contributor: Stevens Thaddeus The Meaning of Emancipation in the Reconstruction Era K. A. Cuordileone New York City College of Technology, CUNY Overview The end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery raised complicated issues and dilemmas for Americans during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). In what have we taught them the science and granted them the privilege of self-government? The Federal arms triumphed. The people have once more nobly done their duty. . Though many Northerners were ambivalent about African American suffrage, the Black Codes turned public opinion against Johnson and his moderate approach to Reconstruction. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There are several good reasons for the passage of this bill [Military Reconstruction Act]. of Thaddeus Stevens, Vol. As there are no symptoms that the people of these provinces will be prepared to participate in constitutional government for some years, I know of no arrangement so proper for them as territorial governments. He also offered his home as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Whether they should ever have all men of both sections, without exception, agreed would depend on the will of Congress, if the United States were victorious.

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