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Definition: Stevens from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

Thaddeus Stevens 1792–1868 Am. polit.

Stevens, Thaddeus

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1792–1868, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania (1849–53, 1859–68), b. Danville, Vt. He taught in an academy at York, Pa., studied law, and was admitted to the bar in Maryland. He practiced law in Gettysburg (1816–42) and then in Lancaster, Pa. He also entered the iron business. Stevens first achieved political prominence as an Anti-Mason, and from 1833 to 1841 he served in the Pennsylvania legislature. An aggressive, uncompromising man possessing a formidable, sardonic wit, he helped defeat a bill abolishing the state's public-school system and was a vigorous proponent of a protective tariff. In his first two terms in Congress, Stevens was a Whig but also a forthright abolitionist, and he quit in disgust at his party's moderate stand on the slavery issue. A leading organizer of the Republican party in Pennsylvania, he returned to Congress in 1859. As chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, he was a powerful figure throughout the Civil War. Stevens secured huge…
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus

From Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World
As a seven-term Congressman from Pennsylvania,...
Among all of the abolitionists in the United States, Thaddeus Stevens may have been the most sincere advocate of equal rights for all people, regardless of race. During the Reconstruction era, he endeavored to pass federal legislation that would ensure equal rights for all citizens. Stevens was born…
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
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Full text Article Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) (b/w photo)

From Bridgeman Images: Peter Newark American Pictures
Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) (b/w photo)
Artist: American Photographer, (19th century) Location: Private Collection Credit: Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) (b/w photo), American Photographer, (19th century) / Private Collection / Peter Newark American Pictures / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 19th c. Medium: black and white photograph…
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus (1792 to 1868)

From Chambers Dictionary of World History
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Full text Article Stevens

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Biographical Names
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born April 4, 1792, Danville, Vt., U.S.—died Aug. 11, 1868, Washington, D.C.) U.S. politician. He practiced law in Pennsylvania, defending fugitive slaves without fee. In the U.S. House of Representatives (1849–53, 1859–68), he opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories. After…
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus

From American Biographies: American Political Leaders
Born in 1792 in Virginia, Thaddeus Stevens...
(b. 1792–d. 1868) Radical Republican leader…
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Full text Article Stevens, Thaddeus

From Encyclopedia of African-American Politics
Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens led efforts...
(b. 1792–d. 1868) U.S. representative Thaddeus Stevens in the House of Representatives and Charles Sumner in the Senate were leaders of the Radical Republicans in Congress during Reconstruction. His militancy in advocacy of freedom and equality for African Americans predated his leadership during…
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Full text Article STEVENS, THADDEUS

From The Reader's Companion to American History
(1792-1868), political leader. In the traditional view of Reconstruction, Thaddeus Stevens was the evil genius who wrecked President Andrew Johnson's lenient policy and turned the South over to the depredations of “black rule.” Today, he is seen more sympathetically, as an outspoken foe of slavery…
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Full text Article National Bank Act of 1863

From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
Salmon Chase (1808–73), represented in this...
The National Bank Act of 1863 was designed to create a national banking system, provide federal war loans, and establish a national currency. Congress passed the act to help resolve a financial crisis that occurred during the American Civil War (1861–65). The war with the South was expensive, and…
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