Delivered only seven months after the war ended and on the same day that the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, went into effect, Stevens's speech represented the view of a group in Congress known as the Radical Republicans. And yet certain of our distinguished friends propose to admit State after State before this becomes a part of the Constitution. I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his creator. if we leave them to the legislation of their late masters, take care of themselves. We have broken the material shackles of four million slaves. How difficult in a day to unlearn it. Would it not be better to flank the works and march round and round and besiege, and thus secure the surrender of the enemy, though it might cost time? I waive now the question of punishment which, if we are wise, will still be inflicted by moderate confiscations, both as a reproof and example. Stevens completed his undergraduate education and moved to York, Pennsylvania, where he taught classes at a one-room school during the daytime and studied law in the evenings. They must come in as new states or remain as conquered provinces. 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. No State could order the election of members until Congress had ordered a census and made an apportionment. It cannot be denied that this terrible struggle sprang from the vicious principles incorporated into the institutions of our country. Certainly many people shared his outrage and desire to see the former Confederates punished, but his particular bitterness ran counter to the feelings of many others who wanted to see a quick reconciliation with the South and who cared little about anything more than rudimentary freedom for former slaves. The electors; and I know of no better place nor better suffrage. Alert to the return to power of traditional white Southern leadership, he argued that the seceded states were in the condition of conquered provinces to which restraints of the Constitution did not apply. Thaddeus Stevens April 4, 1792 - August 11, 1868. But it will be said, as it has been said, This is negro equality! What is negro equality, about which so much is said by knaves, and some of which is believed by men who are not fools? The white Union men are in a great minority in each of those States. Unless the rebel States, before admission, should be made republican in spirit, and placed under the guardianship of loyal men, all. . Thaddeus Stevens, "Reconstruction" Speech, September 6, 1865. . 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. Executive summary: Republican Reconstruction leader American political leader, born in Danville, Vermont, on the 4th of April 1792. The future condition of the conquered power depends on the will of the conqueror. On April 11, 1835, Thaddeus Stevens gave a speech in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in defense of the Free Schools Act of 1834. In failing health, Stevens had requested to be buried in Shreiner-Concord Cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, because the state accepted all races. Link couldn't be copied to clipboard! . Since, then, the President cannot enact, alter, or modify a single law; cannot even create a petty office within his own sphere of duties; if, in short, he is the mere servant of the people, who issue their commands to him through Congress, whence does he derive the constitutional power to create new States; to remodel old ones; to dictate organic laws; to fix the qualification of voters; to declare that States are republican and entitled to command Congress to admit their Representatives? Though the President is Commander-in-Chief, Congress is his commander; and, God willing, he shall obey. ; Hon. To be sure many subordinate items of the policy of each may be easily sketched. Their work largely set the course for Reconstruction in the South. Have not loyal blacks quite as good a right to choose rulers and make laws as rebel whites? Do not tell me that there are loyal representatives waiting for admissionuntil their States are loyal they can have no standing here. The law of last session with regard to Territories settled the principles of such acts. 251-252. . He insists that those of our people who were plundered and their property burned or destroyed by rebel raiders shall not be indemnified, but shall bear their own loss, while the rebels shall retain their own property, most of which was declared forfeited by the Congress of the United States. Contributor: Stevens Thaddeus Image Details The Joint Committee on Reconstruction proposed a constitutional amendment to address issues in Southern states. The same law which condemns or acquits an African should condemn or acquit a white man. describe a time when you were treated unfairly. The abolition of slavery slowly became Steven's primary political focus and, as a result, he emerged as one of the nation's most militant Radical Republicans. Now color disqualifies a man from testifying in courts, or being tried in the same way as white men. 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. proper for them as territorial governments. In the second place, it is a necessity in order to protect the loyal white men in the seceded States. Ensuring the rights of former slaves, now called freedmen, was, to Johnson, a matter for state governmentsanother important issue on which he and Stevens's Radical Republicans disagreed. Thaddeus Stevens | 1866 Summary On May 8, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens delivered this speech introducing the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives. To my mind it is either the most ignorant and shallow mistake of his duties, or the most brazen and impudent usurpation of power. . Congress denies it and asserts the right to belong to the legislative branch. Having these States, as we all agree, entirely within the power of Congress, it is our duty to take care that no injustice shall remain in their organic laws. In this country the whole sovereignty rests with the people, and is exercised through their Representatives in Congress assembled. governments for them. Or will it be deterred by the clamor of ignorance, bigotry, and despotism from perfecting a revolution begun without their consent, but which ought not to be ended without their full participation and concurrence? But finding other cemeteries limited as to race by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his creator.". 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. and ought not to exist longer than is absolutely necessary. That short delay would not be injurious. They were satisfied that the United States should maintain its old Constitution and laws. . Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In 1867 Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner led the campaign for full voting rights for African Americans across the nation. Dead States cannot restore their existence "as it was." Combining patriotic and religious imagery, it depicted Americans rebuilding a pavilion representing the United States. In rebuilding, it is necessary to clear away the rotten and defective portions of the old foundations, and to sink deep and found the repaired edifice upon the firm foundation of eternal justice. . . As a congressman, he advocated for tariff increases, opposed the fugitive slave provision of the Compromise of 1850, and later joined the newly formed Republican Party. 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. I can hardly believe that any person can be found who will not admit that every one of these provisions is just. The veto of the President and their votes on the bill are conclusive evidence of that. True it will take two, three, possibly five years before they conquer their prejudices sufficiently to allow their late slaves to become their equals at the polls. The Black Codes passed in those states to keep the freed slaves from exercising their new freedoms further angered the Radical Republicansand even most moderate Republicans. Stevens had a long history of opposition to slavery and was outraged over the secession of the South. Thaddeus Stevens, Speech in favor of black suffrage, House of Representatives, January 3, 1867. outside or defunct States, and providing proper civil Thus short of their power, they would soon become restive. With other Radical Republicans, he agitated for emancipation, black fighting units, and black suffrage. The [members of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction] are not ignorant of the fact that there has been some impatience at the delay in making this report . Two years after moving to Pennsylvania, Stevens was admitted to the bar and began practicing in Gettysburg. Do you avow the party purpose? acquiring an education, understanding the common laws The law has nothing to do with it. But every other government is a despotism. I know of no Republican who does not ridicule what Mr. Seward thought a cunning movement, in counting Virginia and other outlawed States among those which had adopted the constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. 20072023 Blackpast.org. This amendment once adopted cannot be annulled without two thirds of Congress. Together with Charles Sumner in the Senate, the Pennsylvania native opposed President Lincoln's Reconstruction plan as too lenient. with those to whom Congress shall extend the right of 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 states of the entire southern half of the nation had seceded, but they were again under federal jurisdiction after the Union victory. Congress denies him all power in the matter, except those of advice, and has determined to maintain such denial. He defended the system of segregation developed in the South after Reconstruction (including lynching); segregation was not challenged until the 1950s and 1960s. Sarah Stevens took care of the farm and raised four Stevens brothers. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998). As both a Southerner (who had remained loyal to the Union) and a Democrat, Johnson was hard-pressed to implement Lincoln's plan, especially in the face of a public discourse dominated by Thaddeus Stevens and the Radical Republicans. 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). He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1814, removed to York, Pennsylvania, was admitted to the bar (in Maryland), and for fifteen years practiced at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. depict the ruin that would follow. No former laws, no former compacts or treaties existed to bind the belligerents. On May 8, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens delivered this speech introducing the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives. [Washington, D. . He opposes the amendment to the Constitution, which changes the base of representation, and desires the old slave States to have the benefit of their increase of freemen without increasing the number of votes; in short, he desires to make the vote of one rebel in South Carolina equal to the vote of three freemen in Pennsylvania or New York. Then each House must judge whether the members presenting themselves from a recognized State possess the requisite qualifications of age, residence, and citizenship; and whether the election and returns are according to law. He publicly condemned the Confederacy and even initiated the exclusion of traditional Southern senators and representatives from a congressional meeting in 1865. It would not be wise to prevent the raising of the structure because some corner of it might be founded upon materials subject to the inevitable laws of mortal decay. The short time allowed by our resolution will suffice to introduce this debate. Though Commander- in-Chief by the Constitution, he would have nothing to command, either by land or water, until Congress raised both Army and Navy. The commander of an army who should find his enemy intrenched on impregnable heights would act unwisely if he insisted on marching his troops full in the face of a destructive fire merely to show his courage. Thaddeus Stevens on the Great Topic of the Hour. Start your constitutional learning journey. Best Known For: Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction. During the war, as the powerful chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Stevens pushed Lincoln for emancipation of the slaves. Of course, this does not admit malefactors to power, or there would soon be no penal laws and society would become an anarchy. My only objection to it is that it is too lenient. Thaddeus Stevens, Speech on reconstruction, December 18, 1865. They, with their kindred Copperheads of the North, would always elect the President and control Congress. He alone was willing to go where duty called though devils were as thick as the tiles on the houses. And Luther is the great luminary of the Reformation, around whom the others revolve as satellites and shine by his light. Omissions? For I believe, on my conscience, that on the continued ascendancy of that party depends the safety of this great nation. The second section I consider the most important in the article. They did not claim to raise an insurrection to reform the Government of the country -a rebellion against the laws-but they asserted their entire independence of that Government and of all obligations to its laws. He might have extended the laws of his empire over them, allowed them to retain portions of their old institutions, or, by conditions of peace, have fixed upon them new and exceptional laws. 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. 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. But this is not all that we ought to do before I do. Call you this a free Republic where four millions are subjects but not citizens? 2 April 1865-August 1868 (Pittsburgh: . We have allowed them the unwonted privilege of attending church, if they can do so without offending the sight of their former masters. In Territories Congress fixes the qualifications of electors; and I know of no better place nor better occasion for the conquered rebels and the conqueror to practice justice to all men, and accustom themselves to make and obey equal laws. In 1848, a third party called the Free Soil Party formed to highlight opposition to extending slavery into western territories that had not yet organized as states. Early in his career, he developed a hatred for bondage and, subsequently, defended many fugitives without charging them legal fees. But this is not all that we ought to do before inveterate rebels are invited to participate in our legislation. The wagon of Watson was broken. 2023 National Constitution Center. Mr. Speaker, that charge, as I have stated, is. Petition to US Congress for Womens Suffrage, President Andrew Jacksons Message to Congress On Indian Removal, Canada Bans Commercial Fishing in Lakes St. Clair and Erie, Great Britain Withdraws from the Concert of Europe. Born in Danville, Vermont, in 1792, Stevens grew up poor, yet he graduated from Dartmouth College and became an attorney before entering politics in 1833. When Stevens rose to speak in the House of Representatives on December 18, 1865, his opposition to Johnson's Reconstruction plan was already well known. Whatever law allows the white man to testify in court shall allow the man of color to do the same. I deny that there is any understanding, expressed or implied, that upon the adoption of the amendment by any State, that such State may be admitted, (before the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.? 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). If we do not furnish them with Thaddeus Stevens, "Reconstruction" Speech, September 6, 1865. Thaddeus Stevens speech of December 18 1865; Address of a convention of Negroes held in Alexandria Virginia August 1865; Alexander Stephens on Reconstruction April 11 1866; Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction June 20 1866; Charles Sumner Opinion on the trial of Andrew Johnson 1868 Stevens, who led the Radical faction in the House, along with Charles Sumner in the Senate, were determined both to ensure that the sacrifices made during the Civil War were not wasted by handing power back to the same Southern politicians who had driven secession forward four years earlier and to see that the freedmen's civil rights, including the right to vote, were guaranteed. The convention of southern loyalists, lately held in Philadelphia, almost unanimously agreed to such a bill as an absolute necessity. The policy of Congress forbids him to exercise any power therein. Andrew Johnson as soft toward the South, he introduced the resolution for his impeachment (1868) and served as chairman of the committee appointed to draft impeachment articles. Having now no governments, they must have enabling acts. 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. Following the Civil War, Stevens served on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction and played an important role in drafting both the 14th Amendment and the Reconstruction Act of 1867. 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. Rather than debate the presidential plan, Stevens took a different tack, questioning the very propriety of having the executive branch direct Reconstruction policy. In what have we taught them the science and granted them the privilege of self-government? Such a course would soon surrender the Government into the hands of rebels. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Thaddeus Stevens was born in Danville, Vermont, on April 4, 1792. I have long since wished that capital punishment were abolished. In the States they form the great mass of the loyal men. Without it all are sure to be ruled by traitors; and loyal men, black and white, will be oppressed, exiled, or murdered.
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thaddeus stevens reconstruction speech summary