Thaddeus Stevens : nineteenth-century egalitarian / Hans L. Trefousse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Trefousse, Hans L. (Hans Louis), 1921-2010.

Series:

Civil War America.

Civil War America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stevens, Thaddeus, 1792-1868.

Stevens, Thaddeus.

Legislators--United States--Biography.

Legislators.

United States.

United States--History--1849-1877.

History.

United States. Congress. House--Biography.

United States. Congress. House.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 312 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [1997]

Summary:

One of the most controversial figures in nineteenth-century American history, Thaddeus Stevens is best remembered for his role as congressional leader of the radical Republicans and as a chief architect of Reconstruction. Long painted by historians as a vindictive "dictator of Congress", out to punish the South at the behest of big business and his own ego, Stevens receives a more balanced treatment in Hans L. Trefousse's biography, which portrays him as an impassioned orator, an indefatigable advocate of racial equality, and a leader in the struggle against slavery. Trefousse addresses the riddle of Stevens's personality - his seeming harshness toward his foes, his kindness toward the poor and powerless, his stern manner and biting sarcasm - and explores the motivations for this leader's lifelong commitment to racial equality. He offers a fascinating portrait of the man whose impassioned opposition to slavery helped move his more moderate congressional colleagues toward the implementation of egalitarianism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [287]-300) and index.

ISBN:

080782335X

OCLC:

35280615