Thaddeus Stevens

Thaddeus Stevens is best known for his leadership of the radical Republicans in Congress during Reconstruction, and throughout the years historians have either glorified him or vilified him. Trefousse's balanced biography traces Stevens's career from his early days as a Pennsylvania lawyer and state legislator, when he became an outspoken advocate for black freedom and equality, to his long tenure in the House of Representatives, which culminated in his involvement in the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.

Hans L. Trefousse is Distinguished Professor of History at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is the respected author of several books on political figures during Reconstruction, including The Radical Republicans and Andrew Johnson.