Thaddeus Stevens: “Reconstruction” Speech

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Thaddeus Stevens:“Reconstruction” Speech
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Abstract

U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, a member of the self-named Radical Republicans, categorically opposed slavery and argued for African American enfranchisement long before the Fifteenth Amendment, which was passed in 1870, granted Black men the right to vote. His position against slavery and expanding voting rights to African Americans cost him votes during his political career. In fact, he often criticized President Abraham Lincoln for moving too slowly on addressing the slavery issue and argued that slavery should not survive the Civil War.

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