Thaddeus Stevens was born in Vermont in 1792. He moved to Pennsylvania as a young man and practiced law in Gettysburg, where he also became active in politics. He moved to Lancaster in 1842.
Public schools
As a state legislator in 1835, Stevens gave a famous speech defending Pennsylvania’s new law creating free public schools, which many lawmakers wanted to repeal. The law survived.
Congress
Stevens was elected to Congress from Lancaster County and became one of the leaders of the Radical Republicans, who wanted to end slavery and guarantee civil rights for freed people. As chair of the House Ways and Means Committee during the Civil War, he had great influence over war financing.
After the war he pushed for the 14th Amendment and for strong Reconstruction policies in the South. He led the House effort to impeach President Andrew Johnson in 1868.
Burial
Stevens died in August 1868. He chose to be buried in Shreiner-Concord Cemetery in Lancaster because it accepted people of all races. His gravestone explains that choice.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster, which he funded in his will, carries his name. His home and law office are part of a historic site being developed with Lydia Hamilton Smith’s story.