In monarchical Governments, where the sovereign power rests in the Crown, the king would have fixed the condition of the conquered provinces. But if full justice could not be obtained at once I would not refuse to do what is possible. It is to be regretted that inconsiderate and incautious Republicans should ever have supposed that the slight amendments already proposed to the Constitution, even when incorporated into that instrument, would satisfy the reforms necessary for the security of the Government. He focused much of his political attention on civil rights, eventually. endobj It guaranteed all citizensincluding freedmenequal rights and protections under state and federal law and set conditions for readmission of former . This amendment once adopted cannot be annulled without two thirds of Congress. In 1849, Stevens was elected, as a Whig, to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thaddeus Stevens, "Reconstruction" Speech, September 6, 1865. 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. He publicly condemned the Confederacy and even initiated the exclusion of traditional Southern senators and representatives from a congressional meeting in 1865. I do not suspect it, but others will. As a leader in Congress, Stevens fought to end slavery and promote civil rights and racial equality. what its framers intended; and so as to secure perpetual Call you this liberty? governments for them. Impartial suffrage, both in electing the delegates and ratifying their proceedings, is now the fixed rule. suffrage. . But this step forward is an assault upon ignorance and prejudice, and timid men shrink from it. Stevens was also a staunch opponent of President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies.]. I need not Address of a convention of Negroes held in Alexandria Virginia August . But this is not all that we ought to do before inveterate rebels are invited to participate in our legislation. proper for them as territorial governments. Against our will they have been absent for four bloody years; against our will they must not come back until we are ready to receive them. 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. Another good reason is, it would insure the ascendancy of the Union party. He claims the right to reconstruct by his own power. If it be just, it should not be denied; if it be necessary, it should be adopted; if it be a punishment to traitors, they deserve it. The entire speech appears below. 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? 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. Is their judgment misled by their kindness; or are they unconsciously drifting into the haven of power at the other end of the avenue? . 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. take care of themselves. Eleven States, possessing a very large extent of territory, and ten or twelve million people, aimed to sever their connection with the Union, and to form an independent empire, founded on the avowed principle of human slavery and excluding every free State from this confederacy. How difficult in a day to unlearn it. 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. first of those amendments is to change the basis of 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. 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. Lincoln may have been the only one who could have made this arrangement work, but he was assassinated in April 1865, leaving his vice president, Johnson, as the executive in charge of Reconstruction. 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. States and declare when they are entitled to be represented. 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.? The employer offered to pay Watson every dollar that he might assess for the damage that had been done. With other Radical Republicans, he agitated for emancipation, black fighting units, and black suffrage. 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. He defended the system of segregation developed in the South after Reconstruction (including lynching); segregation was not challenged until the 1950s and 1960s. 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. After the war Stevens emerged as one of the most militant of the Radical Republicans, consistently striving for justice for the black masses. 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 same law which gives a verdict in a White mans favor should give a verdict in a black mans favor on the same state of facts. 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. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! 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 . 2023 National Constitution Center. On the result of the war depended the fate and ulterior condition of the contending parties. The leader of the Radical Republicans in the House, Stevens was a lawyer, politician, and staunch abolitionist. Together with Charles Sumner in the Senate, the Pennsylvania native opposed President Lincoln's Reconstruction plan as too lenient. But every other government is a despotism. He and his minions shall learn that this is not a Government of kings and satraps, but a Government of the people, and that Congress is the people. That short delay would not be injurious. 20072023 Blackpast.org. actual voters. In the first place, it is just. Stevens had a difficult childhood; in addition to growing up fatherless, he was poor and had a club foot. I need not enumerate these partial and oppressive laws. ( Thaddeus Stevens, speech to Congress, March 19 1867). . Possibly the people would not have inaugurated this revolution to correct the palpable incongruities and despotic provisions of the Constitution; but having it forced upon them, will they be so unwise as to suffer it to subside without erecting this nation into a perfect Republic? Since the surrender of the armies of the confederate States of America a little has been done toward establishing this Government upon the true principles of liberty and justice; and but a little if we stop here. Beyond this I do not agree that the policy of the parties are defined. Reconstruction "There was a dramatic need for another amendment" after the slavery-abolishing 13th Amendment was ratified at the end of 1865, Hetrick says. The committee influenced the drafting and passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which upheld the citizenship rights . We have broken the material shackles of four million slaves. Omissions? 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). Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) was the most famous Radical Republican in the House of Representatives (1849-1853, 1859-1868). "Reconstruction," lithograph by J. L. Giles, ca. 1867 Inaugurated on a cold March day 1853. white, will be oppressed, exiled, or murdered. It is claimed for him by some as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy. Thaddeus Stevens seen as one of the fathers of 14th Amendment The policy of Congress forbids him to exercise any power therein. Of course, this does not admit malefactors to power, or there would soon be no penal laws and society would become an anarchy. the Constitution shall have been so amended as to make it . Thus much I have said at the outset of my remarks, which shall not be very long. 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. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S>> Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The people have once more nobly done their duty. He composed his own epitaph, which reads, "I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not for any natural preference for solitude. The short time allowed by our resolution will suffice to introduce this debate. 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. Start your constitutional learning journey. Lincoln had already authorized reconstructed governments in Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, and Johnson's home state of Tennessee, and Johnson continued Lincoln's goal of quickly restoring local sovereignty to the states. That they will hardly get. The parties acknowledged each other as such, and claimed to be governed by the law of nations and the laws of war in their treatment of each other. 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 . That decision has unsheathed the dagger of the assassin and places the knife of the rebel at the throat of every man who dares proclaim himself to be now, or to have been heretofore, a loyal Union man. Now, you must divide them between loyalists, without regard to color, and disloyalists, or you will be the perpetual vassals of the free trade, irritated, revengeful South. The Reconstruction Act also divided the South into five military districts under commanders empowered to employ the army to protect black property and citizens. 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. If it be just, it should not be denied; if it be necessary, it should be adopted; if it be a punishment to traitors, they deserve it. 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. H.R. 127, Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution . He dominated the House during Reconstruction and proposed the impeachment of President .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Andrew Johnson. Ask, what is the policy of Congress? and the answer is not always at hand. Serving as a Whig in the U.S. House of Representatives (184953), he advocated tariff increases and opposed the fugitive slave provision of the Compromise of 1850. While slavery sat upon her defiant throne, and insulted and intimidated the trembling North, the South frequently divided on questions of policy between Whigs and Democrats, and gave victory alternately to the sections. stream The wagon of Watson was broken. 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. Possibly with their aid loyal governments may be established in most of those States. Radical Republican congressional leader during Reconstruction (1865-77) who battled for freedmen's rights and insisted on stern requirements for readmission of Southern states into the Union after the Civil War (1861-65). In whom does the Constitution place the power? He was an early and ardent supporter of abolition of slavery. I desire that as early as possible, without curtailing debate, this House shall come to some conclusion as to what shall be done with the rebel States. Thaddeus Stevens, Speech in favor of black suffrage, House of Representatives, January 3, 1867. . In failing health, Stevens requested that he be buried among Negroes resting in a cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. with those to whom Congress shall extend the right of They ought never to be recognized as capable of acting in the Union, or of being counted as valid States, until the Constitution shall have been so amended as to make it what its framers intended; and so as to secure perpetual ascendancy to the party of the Union; and so as to render our republican Government firm and stable forever. 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. UJxCA**]=#TSWr];227~|}&Y&QHV +JG{4ef1R+2#{2yTy$H. provinces will be prepared to participate in constitutional Unless the law of nations is a dead letter, the late war between two acknowledged belligerents severed their original compacts and broke all the ties that bound them together. 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. In the immediate aftermath of the war, however, Congress was not in session, and Johnson did his best to implement Lincoln's plan in Congress's absence. Image Details The Joint Committee on Reconstruction proposed a constitutional amendment to address issues in Southern states. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. 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. Dead States cannot restore their existence "as it was." The leader of the Radical Republicans in the House, Stevens was a lawyer, politician, and staunch abolitionist. to the territorial Legislatures, they will necessarily mingle Thaddeus Stevens speech of December 18 1865 The President assumes, what no one doubts, that the late rebel States have lost their constitutional relations to the Union, and are incapable of representation in Congress, except by permission of the Government. 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. We However, he also urged colleagues to remember the crimes of the Confederacy. There are degrees of tyranny. I can hardly believe that any person can be found who will not admit that every one of these provisions is just. 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.". Then, twenty million white men enchained four million black men. 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? The papers of lawyer and United States representative from Pennsylvania Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) consist of 4,750 items (7,769 images) in eight containers and one oversize folder. PDF Thaddeus Stevens, Speech Introducing the Fourteenth Amendment (1866) But this is not all that we ought to do before 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. Holding them like clay in the hands of the potter, we must see that no vessel is made for destruction. These are great advantages over their present codes. 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. . Thaddeus Stevens speech of December 18 1865 Thaddeus Stevens in Reconstruction No civil authority would prosecute him; and, when taken into custody by the military authority, he is discharged by order of the President under this most injurious and iniquitous decision. Since the conquest they have been governed by martial law. 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. If we fail in this great duty now, when we have the power, we shall deserve and receive the execration of history and of all future ages. That decision has taken away every protection in everyone of these rebel States from every loyal man, black or white, who resides there. 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. By what civil weapon have we enabled them to defend themselves against oppression and injustice? <> The war was acknowledged by other nations as a public war between independent belligerents. To those white leaders, voting rights for the freedmen, as advocated by Radical Republicans, were out of the question. Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess., Jan. 3, 1867, pp. Think not I would slander my native land; I would reform it. 2 0 obj What are the great questions which now divide the nation? The third section may encounter more difference of opinion here. Popular interest in punishing or governing the South, as well as in ensuring justice for freedmen, waned, however, as Northerners prioritized a return to prosperity. - wrapinknot Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. . A gentleman from Richmond, who had personal knowledge of the facts, told me the circumstances of the murder. Stevens was an opponent of slavery before the war and after the war sought to secure the rights of the newly freed population in the former Confederacy. . Do you avow the party purpose? BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Do not tell me that there are loyal representatives waiting for admissionuntil their States are loyal they can have no standing here. 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. Stevens became a natural leader in Congress and served as a member of the House until his death in 1868. If impartial suffrage is excluded in the rebel States then everyone of them is sure to send a solid rebel representative delegation to Congress, and cast a solid rebel electoral vote. Simply allowing the Southern states to rejoin the Union upon the acceptance of federal sovereignty by ten percent of voters and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment was not even close to sufficient for Stevens, who, like many in the North, held the Southerners completely responsible for four years of unprecedented bloodshed.
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