Was Thaddeus Stevens in a relationship with a black woman?

Stevens was not only a public proponent of full racial equality; he long and defiantly lived his own personal life accordingly. Beginning in 1845, he embarked on a 23-year-long intimate relationship with an African-American woman, Lydia Hamilton Smith.

Who is Stevens in Lincoln?

Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction.

Was Thaddeus Stevens married to his housekeeper?

Lydia Hamilton Smith had a special relationship with U.S. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. She became Stevens’ housekeeper in 1847, and for 25 years she managed his homes and businesses. Through their partnership she gained the skills and social contacts necessary to become a successful businesswoman after his death.

Was Thaddeus Stevens an abolitionist?

We know Thaddeus Stevens as an ardent abolitionist who championed the rights of blacks for decades—up to, during, and after the Civil War. With other Radical Republicans, he agitated for emancipation, black fighting units, and black suffrage.

Did Thaddeus Stevens and Lincoln get along?

Thaddeus Stevens and Abraham Lincoln had a strange and strained relationship. They rarely communicated. During the Civil War, Stevens believed that the test of a true Republican was his commitment to the antislavery cause. He believed Lincoln moved too slowly to outlaw slavery.

What is Thaddeus Stevens known for?

Thaddeus Stevens, (born April 4, 1792, Danville, Vermont, U.S.—died August 11, 1868, Washington, D.C.), U.S. 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 …

Who was Thaddeus Stevens Where was he from?

Danville, Vermont
Thaddeus Stevens, (born April 4, 1792, Danville, Vermont, U.S.—died August 11, 1868, Washington, D.C.), U.S. 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 …

What was Thaddeus Stevens personality?

Thaddeus Stevens was a fearsome reformer, who never backed down from a fight. Stevens carried the resolutely determined spirit of a fighter with him throughout his life. In 1813, a young Thaddeus Stevens was attending a small college in Vermont. This was well before the time when good fences made good neighbors.

What happened to Thaddeus Stevens after Lincoln died?

After he died, in 1868, his party decided to honor him by nominating him for reelection to Congress. He won in a landslide. And his most hard-fought battles occurred after Lincoln’s death. “I do not believe, sir, in human perfection,” Stevens said in a speech, “nor in the moral purity of human nature.”

Where was Thaddeus Stevens from?

Danville, VT
Thaddeus Stevens/Place of birth

How did Steven Stevens feel about slavery?

Stevens argued that slavery should not survive the war; he was frustrated by the slowness of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to support his position. He guided the government’s financial legislation through the House as Ways and Means chairman.

Where can I find Thaddeus Stevens’s oral remarks and correspondence?

Stevens’s oral remarks and written correspondence have been gathered in The Selected Papers of Thaddeus Stevens, edited by Beverly Wilson Palmer and Holly Byers Ochoa and published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

What was the relationship between Senator Stevens and President Lincoln like?

Pennsylvania journalist Alexander K. McClure wrote of Congressman Stevens and President Lincoln: “These two great civil leaders were not in close personal relations. Stevens was ever impatient of Lincoln’s tardiness, and Lincoln was always patient with Stevens’ advanced and often impracticable methods.

What did John Stevens do to help African Americans?

A fierce opponent of slavery and discrimination against African Americans, Stevens sought to secure their rights during Reconstruction, leading the opposition to U.S. President Andrew Johnson.