biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1792–1868)
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| biography:
| US representative, born in Danville, Vermont, USA. Congenitally lame, he grew up with an intense empathy for society's poor and disenfranchised. He graduated from Dartmouth College, then studied law, setting up a practice in Gettysburg, PA (1816). He served in the state's House of Representatives (1833–41), but the formative experience of his years in Gettysburg inspired his passionate antipathy to slavery. He went to the US House of Representatives (1849–53) as a Whig, but left in impatience over the party's stand on slavery. After helping to form the new Republican Party in Pennsylvania, he returned to the House (1859–68), and as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee he exerted major influence on the conduct of the war, often differing with Lincoln. Almost fanatical in advocating harsh policies against the Confederate states, he emerged as the leader of the Radical Republicans and got himself appointed to the joint committee on reconstruction. His idea of treating the South as what he called ‘a conquered province’ brought him into open conflict with President Andrew Johnson. Stevens led the move to impeach Johnson, then died soon after Johnson's acquittal. He remains one of the most problematic of American politicians - his espousal of the rights of African-Americans spoiled by his intolerance of those who disagreed with his approach. |
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