Thaddeus Stevens

The Radical Republican oversaw federal spending at the dawn of Reconstruction. How did his support for Black equality affect his leadership in the House?

The Pennsylvanian was one of America’s greatest heroes. Why hasn’t he gotten his due?

Thaddeus Stevens was a fierce opponent of the “odious” compromises in the Constitution, and of the North’s compromises after the Civil War.

Thaddeus Stevens understood far better than most that fully uprooting slavery meant overthrowing the South’s economic system and challenging property rights.

Thaddeus Stevens was a fearsome reformer who never backed down from a fight.

On the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, racism, and federal power.

Confederates kidnapped free Black people to sell into slavery. After the war, two women sought help from high places to track down their lost loved ones.

On the 14th amendment – and if it might stop Trump.

The Supreme Court has betrayed the promise of equal citizenship by allowing police to arrest and kill Americans at will.

What the Civil War tells us about who has the power to shape history.

Democrats need to face up to their constitutional duty without fear.

During Reconstruction, true citizenship finally seemed in reach for black Americans. Then their dreams were dismantled.

The first revolution articulated American ideals. The second enacted them.

In the 1840s and 1850s, it was all too common.

On the abolitionists, Reconstruction, and winning “freedom” from the Right.

The attack on it is a violation of the nation’s post–Civil War rebirth.

Russia has been peddling influence for a long time, using a playbook that it still uses today.

The real Andrew Johnson compared with the only film made about his life.

In 1866, the famous abolitionist laid out his vision for radically reshaping America in the pages of "The Atlantic."

Scholars and pundits are suddenly interested in the section disqualifying insurrectionists from offices. But text and history don't offer clear answers.