In this country the whole sovereignty rests with the people, and is exercised through their Representatives in Congress assembled. 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. 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. 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. <> It is claimed for him by some as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy. Then Persia, with her kings and satraps, was free; then Turkey is free! This doctrine does not mean that a negro shall sit on the same seat or eat at the same table with a white man. 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? True, some of those governors were illegally appointed, being civilians. Steven called for action and change but deadlock in congress blocked his agenda. That they will hardly get. 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. Mr. Speaker, I am very anxious that this bill should be proceeded with until finally acted upon. law. Is their judgment misled by their kindness; or are they unconsciously drifting into the haven of power at the other end of the avenue? I need not enumerate these partial and oppressive laws. . Such shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.Constitution United States, art.I, sec. Congress is the only power that can act in the matter. endobj 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? Whatever law protects the white man shall afford equal protection to the black man. As everyone within the government knew, Stevens was not amenable to allowing the Confederates to regain their role within the Union. 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. Congress alone can do it. In the Reformation there were men engaged as able and perhaps more learned than Martin Luther. Not all of the ideas Stevens voiced in his speech were implemented. 251-252. . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. 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. 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. When Congress met in December 1865, Stevens took the lead in excluding the traditional senators and representatives from the South. 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). For I believe, on my conscience, that on the continued ascendancy of that party depends the safety of this great nation. We know Thaddeus Stevens as an ardent abolitionist who championed the rights of blacks for decadesup to, during, and after the Civil War. A gentleman from Richmond, who had personal knowledge of the facts, told me the circumstances of the murder. To be sure many subordinate items of the policy of each may be easily sketched. In States that have never been restored since the rebellion from a state of conquest, and which are this day held in captivity under the laws of war, the military authorities, under this decision and its extension into disloyal States, dare not order the commanders of departments to enforce the laws of the country. and obey equal laws. The leader of the Radical Republicans in the House, Stevens was a lawyer, politician, and staunch abolitionist. . endobj Whatever law allows the white man to testify in court shall allow the man of color to do the same. In the meantime, the freedmen would become more enlightened, and more fit to discharge the high duties of their new condition. . 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. 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. ern members, with the Democrats that will in the best times . He composed his own epitaph, which reads, "I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not for any natural preference for solitude. In opposition to these things, a portion of Congress seems to desire that the conquered belligerent shall, according to the law of nations, pay at least a part of the expenses and damages of the war; and that especially the loyal people who were plundered and impoverished by rebel raiders shall be fully indemnified. Speech on Reconstruction Domestic Policy Education Federal Government Race and Equality Religion in America Rights and Liberties State Government by Thaddeus Stevens January 03, 1867 Edited and introduced by Scott Yenor Cite Part of these Core Document Collections Reconstruction View Study Questions Call you this a free Republic where four millions are subjects but not citizens? He is determined to force a solid rebel delegation into Congress from the South, and, together with Northern Copperheads, could at once control Congress and elect all future Presidents. I pronounce it no nearer to a true Republic now when twenty-five million of a privileged class exclude five million from all participation in the rights of government. 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. But if full justice could not be obtained at once I would not refuse to do what is possible. The President claims the right to exercise them. . 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. My only objection to it is that it is too lenient. The future condition of the conquered power depends on the will of the conqueror. . The committee influenced the drafting and passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which upheld the citizenship rights . There are those who admit the justice and ultimate utility of granting impartial suffrage to all men, but they think it is impolitic. Citizens replaced the foundations of slavery that formerly supported Southern states . Link couldn't be copied to clipboard! . Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation There is more reason why colored voters should be admitted in the rebel States than in the Territories. Let us now refer to the provisions of the proposed amendment. The law has nothing to do with it. We have unchained them from the stake so as to allow them locomotion, provided they do not walk in paths which are trod by white men. Image Details The Joint Committee on Reconstruction proposed a constitutional amendment to address issues in Southern states. inveterate rebels are invited to participate in our legislation. As a leader in Congress, Stevens fought to end slavery and promote civil rights and racial equality. Thus short of their power, they would soon become restive. of Thaddeus Stevens, Vol. An anti-Masonic member of the state legislature (183341), he proved himself a friend of banks, internal improvements, and public schools and a foe of Freemasons, Jacksonian Democrats, and slaveholders. 2 April 1865-August 1868 (Pittsburgh: All Rights Reserved. (The Free Soil Party had dissipated by the mid-1850s, and was largely absorbed by the new Republican Party, of which Stevens was a member.) 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. 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 . Beverly Wilson Palmer and Holly Byers Ochoa, eds., The Selected Papers . +(91)-9821210096 | how to say nevermind professionally in an email. The next day Watson went to the employer of the colored man and complained. The same law which condemns or acquits an African should condemn or acquit a white man. 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. Think not I would slander my native land; I would reform it. I can hardly believe that any person can be found who will not admit that every one of these provisions is just. After Stevens's death in 1868, the Freedmen's Bureau was chronically underfunded, and although many African Americans held political office in the reconstructed states, the power of the former Confederates rose again through terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. In what have we taught them the science and granted them the privilege of self-government? He desires that the States created by him shall be acknowledged as valid States, while at the same time he inconsistently declares that the old rebel States are in full existence, and always have been, and have equal rights with the loyal States. actual voters. Stevens had a long history of opposition to slavery and was outraged over the secession of the South. In Territories Congress fixes the qualifications of The wagon of Watson was broken. The Economy also feel with the panic of 1854. The infernal laws of slavery have prevented them from It fixes the basis of representation in Congress. In whom does the Constitution place the power? [Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens was a Congressman from Pennsylvania and one of the primary champions of Congressional measures like the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Reconstruction Act of 1867. He argued that, since the Confederate states had divorced themselves from the Union, there was no arrangement so proper for them as territorial governments. Neither the president nor the judiciary had the power to create states out of unincorporated territories before the Civil War, nor should they have the power to do so now, according to Stevens. .I need not depict the ruin that would follow. Importantly, the speech placed Congress itself in charge of Reconstruction policya fact that galled President Andrew Johnson, who promoted a relatively simple reinstatement process for Southern states. As a politician in Pennsylvania, he supported free public education and suffrage for African Americans. 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. Since the conquest they have been governed by martial law. The two powers mutually prepared to settle the question by arms. proper for them as territorial governments. 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. Congress is to pass a law declaring the condition of these A colored man, driving the family of his employer, drove his wagon against a wagon containing Watson and his family. Whatever law punishes a white man for a crime shall punish the black man precisely in the same way and to the same degree. 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. That is a matter of taste which every man must decide for himself. 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. Of course, this does not admit malefactors to power, or there would soon be no penal laws and society would become an anarchy. first of those amendments is to change the basis of . The first of those amendments is to change the basis of representation among the States from Federal numbers to actual voters. Twenty years ago I denounced it as a despotism. The United States, according to the usage of nations, appointed military provisional governors to regulate their municipal institutions until the law-making power of the conqueror should fix their condition and the law by which they should be permanently governed. This I take to be the great question between the President and Congress. 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. x\YF~W$cGGH-Ky41}@P v>~{"_-(LlQUQXkga_QU They, with their kindred Copperheads of the North, would always elect the President and control Congress. Beyond this I do not agree that the policy of the parties are defined. 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? In failing health, Stevens requested that he be buried among Negroes resting in a cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 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. Are such men fit to sit in the places of statesmen? Congressional Globe, 39th Congress, 2nd session, Jan. 3 1867. What can be plainer? 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. power, we shall deserve and receive the execration of 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. It has always been observed that the larger the number of the rulers the more cruel the treatment of the subject races. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On May 8, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens delivered this speech introducing the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. The 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. It means, as understood by honest Republicans, just this much, and no more: every man, no matter what his race or color; every earthly being who has an immortal soul, has an equal right to justice, honesty, and fair play with every other man; and the law should secure him these rights. Southern pride would not long brook a hopeless minority. . No one then supposed that those States had any governments, except such as they had formed under their rebel organization. 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. Johnson's policies allowed many former Confederates to regain political power. rebellion. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Stevens died in Washington, D.C. on August 11, 1868. <> - wrapinknot 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. Stevens was also a staunch opponent of President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies.]. The film claims that it was "Based in Part on Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln . The Civil Rights Act became the first major piece of legislation to be passed despite a president's veto. Not in the Commander-in-Chief of the armies, for .he can only hold them under military rule until the sovereign legislative power of the conqueror shall give them law. But this step forward is an assault upon ignorance and prejudice, and timid men shrink from it. Even that is not left to the Commander-in-Chief. 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. 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. <> BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Lincoln had called for reconciliation in his second inaugural and Gettysburg addresses, but Stevens disagreed vehemently, pushing for the punishment of the Southincluding the disenfranchisement of all Confederatesand full citizenship rights for the freed slaves. There is not one word in the Constitution that gives one particle of anything but judicial and executive power to any other department of Government but Congress. However, he also urged colleagues to remember the crimes of the Confederacy. The President could not even create bureaus or Departments to facilitate his executive operations. 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. . Excerpts from Henry Carey The Harmony of Interests Agricultural, Manufacturing & Commercial 1851, Excerpts from Henrey Carey The Slave Trade Domestic and Foreign 1853, Excerpt from Frederick Law Olmsted A journey in the Seaboard Slave States 1856, The Constitution of the Confederate States of America 1861, McClellan Letter to Lincoln on His Evacuation from the Penninsula Campaign 1862, 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, Exerpt from James W. Grimes Opinion on the Trial of Andrew Johnson 1868, Resolutions of a meeting of the Illinois State Farmers' Association April 1873. Thaddeus Stevens, Speech in favor of black suffrage, House of Representatives, January 3, 1867. Congressional Globe, December 18, 1865, p. 72. 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. Now, sir, it is for these reasons that I insist on the passage of some such measure as this. No Government official, from the President and Chief Justice down, can do anyone act which is not prescribed and directed by the legislative power. describe a time when you were treated unfairly. There are degrees of tyranny. Thaddeus Stevens (April 4, 1792 - August 11, 1868) was a . The Federal arms triumphed. 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. By what civil weapon have we enabled them to defend themselves against oppression and injustice? exclaims some horror-stricken demagogue. Before the end of the war, President Abraham Lincoln had issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, in which he outlined a generous plan that called for the readmission of any former Confederate states in which ten percent of the voters swore allegiance to the restored Union and amnesty for all but the highest-ranking Confederate military and political leaders. Then each House must judge whether the members 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. Among the people I believe it will be the most popular of all the provisions; it prohibits rebels from voting for members of Congress and electors of President until 1870. In the second place, it is a necessity in order to protect the loyal white men in the seceded 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. requisite qualifications of age, residence, and citizenship; Inaugurated on a cold March day 1853. There they can Congress denies him all power in the matter, except those of advice, and has determined to maintain such denial. white, will be oppressed, exiled, or murdered. By 1866, the Radical Republicans had taken significant control of Congress, due in no small part to Stevens's leadership. 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. We may not aspire to fame. %PDF-1.5 He also offered his home as a stop on the Underground Railroad. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. But I beg gentlemen to consider the magnitude of the task which was imposed upon the committee. Death State: Washington, D.C. Death Country: United States, Article Title: Thaddeus Stevens Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/thaddeus-stevens, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 25, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. 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. But the public mind has been educated in error for a century. 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. Radical Republican congressional leader during Reconstruction (186577) who battled for freedmens rights and insisted on stern requirements for readmission of Southern states into the Union after the Civil War (186165). 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. However, his plan proved too radical for many war-weary Northerners. The Reconstruction Act also divided the South into five military districts under commanders empowered to employ the army to protect black property and citizens. Call Us Today! Thaddeus Stevens | 1866 Summary On May 8, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens delivered this speech introducing the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. 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. What power would the President have over anyone subject of government until Congress had legislated on that subject? Corrections? RECONSTRUCTION. After the war Stevens emerged as one of the most militant of the Radical Republicans, consistently striving for justice for the black masses. Suppose the Government were now to be organized for the first time under the Constitution, and the President had been elected and the judiciary appointed: what could either do until Congress passed laws to regulate their proceedings? 3 0 obj electors; and I know of no better place nor better Their subjects had liberty of motion and of labor, but the laws were made without and against their will; but I must declare that, in my judgment, they were as really free governments as ours is to-day.