Thaddeus Stevens, Premier Abolitionist in Congress and Leader of Radical Republicans
Portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' (Congress in the Movies, #2)
One of the most important members of Congress in the 1860s was Thaddeus Stevens, congressman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and leader of the Radical Republicans faction who vehemently opposed slavery and sought to destroy the Confederacy. If you think hyper-partisanship and incivility dominate Washington in contemporary times, watch this speech by Stevens from Steven Spielberg’s movie, “Lincoln.” Stevens was played memorably by actor Tommy Lee Jones.
“You are more reptile than man, George!” Stevens growled on the floor of the House, referring to pro-slavery congressman, George Pendleton, who opposed the 13th amendment outlawing slavery.
Historians’ views of Stevens and the Radical Republicans have changed dramatically from when I was studying the era in school. Back then, our teachers (raised in the Old South of Jim Crow segregation) told us the radicals were motivated primarily by their hatred of the Southern way of life, support of carpetbaggers and scalawags, and desire to punish (white) Southerners through disenfranchisement. Today, Stevens and the Radical Republicans are likely to be portrayed
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