Thaddeus Stevens was a congressman from Pennsylvania who was a member of the House of Representatives during of the time of the Civil War and Reconstruction. He was the leader of a radical wing of the Republican Party called the Radical Republicans. Stevens was one of the most powerful members of the House of Representatives who focused much of his political life on civil rights. He believed in equality for all men whether they were rich or poor, no matter what color their skin. Stevens was instrumental in drafting the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which was meant to protect the civil right of all Americans regardless of their race or gender. He was nicknamed the “Great Commoner” because he championed the plight of the everyday man. Stevens also advocated very harsh policies toward the southern states during the time of Reconstruction. Even though many of his ideas were controversial, he was regarded as a very important national figure during and immediately following the Civil War. Stevens was born in Danville, Vermont on April 4, 1792. He had a very difficult childhood. He was born with a club foot and he grew up in a very poor single parent family. He was a very good student and graduated from Dartmouth College. He moved to Pennsylvania in 1816 and studied law. After he was admitted to the bar he became known for defending fugitive slaves without charging them legal fees. He entered politics in 1833, serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature as a member of the Anti-Mason party. Stevens was an avid defender of free public schools and spoke out against slavery (Sifakis). He also supported banks and spoke out against Jacksonian Democrats and Freemasons. In 1849, he was elected to serve in the U.S. House ... ... middle of paper ... ... spot, not for any natural preference for solitude, but finding other cemeteries limited by charter rules as to race, I have chosen it that I might be enabled to illustrate in my death the principles which I have advocated through a long life - Equality of Man before his Creator (McCall 353). Thaddeus Stevens had a very controversial life and career. He was constantly aware of his deformity, and that may have made him more sympathetic in some contexts, and more caustic and sarcastic in others (Trefousse, Thaddeus Stevens 7). But he did leave a legacy espousing interracial democracy that made possible racial progress in the twentieth century (Callender 202). In a final declaration for equality; he arranged to be buried in a remote cemetery since it did not have racial barriers. Thaddeus Stevens wanted to be remembered for his ideal of equality for all citizens.
My initial response to the poem was a deep sense of empathy. This indicated to me the way the man’s body was treated after he had passed. I felt sorry for him as the poet created the strong feeling that he had a lonely life. It told us how his body became a part of the land and how he added something to the land around him after he died.
With the civil war coming to an end, the congressman of Illinois presented a fresh, new concept. This modern idea stated that the United States of America was a new nation and “for the first time, it had been wholly free.” Many of the white men from this time period were against the change and pursued their old way of life, which prevented the newly made amendments from going into full effect. Freedom in the south during the reconstruction era of America was very controversial. There were many different conceptions of what freedom was. It was thought to be land, others thought it had to do with money, and some even though it was not having a master/not being a slave. The definition of freedom swayed back and forth depending on whose point of
In 1853, Brooks was elected to the 33rd Congress as a member of the Democratic Party. While in office, Brooks had met an anti-slavery campaigning Senator named Charles Sumner. Charles Sumner was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard law school in 1830. He edited a law review, the American Jurist, and served as a reporter for the United States Circuit Court. Sumner also lectured on constitutional and international law at Harvard ’s law school for three winter terms. Sumner first became a politician in 1845, while the Mexican-American War was in dispute. In an Independence Day speech before city officials in Boston, Sumner denounced the use of war for settling international disputes and promoted arbitration instead. He also opposed the annexation of Texas and criticized the institution of slavery. From these speeches, Sumner was known as a keen and favored public speaker. In 1848, Sumner abandoned the Whig party in support of Martin Van Buren’s unsuccessful Free-Soil campaign for presidency. In 1851, a Democratic-Free-Soil coalition in the Massachusetts legislature chose Sumner to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Daniel Webster, who had resigned to become Secretary of State.
David Walker’s radical can be seen from his political opinion. In the preamble, David Walker declares that his motive in writing is “to awaken in the breasts of afflicted, degraded and slumbering brethren, a spirit of inquiry and investigation respecting our miseries and wretchedness in this Republican Land of Liberty!!!!!” . David Walker’s appeal was aimed towards African American slaves. The goal was to have the entire colored citizens rise up and fight against the slaveholders...
Due to falling political prospects and monetary problems his family moved from their home in Stratford to a home in Alexandria, Virginia on the Potomac River. That is where he was raised. He attended grammar school, did many outdoor activities along the river such as fishing and swimming. He had many ties to Revolutionary War heros because his father had served.
James Knox Polk was born November 2, 1795 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. James was the son of a surveyor and farmer Samuel Polk and mother Jane Polk who came from the family of Scottish religious reformer John Knox. He was the oldest of four sisters and five brothers, many who died young. By the age of 10 he and his family moved to Duck River, Tennessee what is now known as Maury County. James was not a healthy youth and was diagnosed with gallstones, but had done a risky operation to get them removed. During his childhood years he only got an informal education. By age 18 he began his formal education. After attending formal schooling for two and half years Polk was permitted to go to University of North Carolina as a sophomore (Design). He had an interest in law and government by having a membership in a debating society. Graduating top honors in his class Polk returned to Tennessee to become a lawyer. To receive legal training “Polk served as a clerk for the Tennessee Senate working for attorney Felix Grundy” (Design). By the age of twenty-seven his political life began. He s...
George Wallace was a man of his era who grew up under racist conditions. After the assassination attempt Wallace was a changed man. Later in his life, he admitted that he was wrong for being a segregationist. He has always said that he was not a racist, but he was for segregation. This visionary was responsible for the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Civil Rights Movement. Although he did not want them, his actions dictated the results of these Acts and changes. His dreams died, but they established rights for all minorities.
Lincoln was born into an “undistinguished family”. His parents died, when Lincoln was just a child, and he had to struggle greatly in order to get some education. Lincoln served as a captain in the Black Hawk War after which he continued with a law career. Lincoln spent eight years in the Illinois legislature. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Douglas in series of debates for Senator’s position. Although Lincoln lost, these debates won him the nomination of 1860. His greatest accomplishments were to come much later.
Alexander Stephens was the vice president of the Confederate states of America during the civil war (1861-1865) and he is the one who gave the famous speech known as “the Cornerstone Speech” where he stated openly the ideas on which the new government was founded: the supremacy of whites over blacks. Stephens played an important role in drafting the new constitution and he had the opportunity to present the new form of government in the speech that took place in Savannah on March 21, 1861.
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, born in Virginia, is one of my favorite Civil War characters. His parents died when he was young, leaving him and his sister in the care of an uncle. He spent his youth working in his uncle's grist mill and secured an appointment to West Point through his influence.
Politics became part of Lincoln’s life in 1832 when he campaigned to be on the Illinois General Assembly. He was a member of the Whig Party. Lincoln was a captain of the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War, he never did see combat though. Later in his life Lincoln failed at some small business ventures. In 1837 he taught himself law and was accepted to the Illinois Bar, later that year Lincoln moved to Springfield became one of the most respected lawyers.
Lawrence Douglas Wilder has done a lot to help our country. Including establishing a state holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that became a national holiday. As a result of his actions, he has also received many awards. He helped end segregation and helped American blacks assume an equal place in society. After he was elected governor of Virginia he stated, “I read the writings of Abraham Lincoln about freedom and equality and I knew they were referring to me. My victory fulfills all of the dreams that could be dreamed by any person.” (Source 4) Mr. Wilder is thought of a very victorious man, elected official lawyer, solider, and politician.
In 1834 Lincoln was elected on the Wing ticket to serve in the Lower House until 1841. He emerged as a party leader, so he moved to Springfield the capital of Illinois. At this time he also became a very popular attorney with a partnership of 3 other men. In 1842 ...
Abraham Lincoln was an intricate yet prosperous person, shown through his movement from poverty to politics. Lincoln was born to poverty in Kentucky in 1809 and settled in Illinois at the age fifteen. He was captain of the militia in Illinois during the Black Hawk War of 1832 and served four terms as a Whig in the state legislature and in Congress, from 1847 to 1849. Lincoln strayed away from politics for a little while to return to law but his interest rekindled as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act .
“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a poem composed by Thomas Gray over a period of ten years. Beginning shortly after the death of his close friend Richard West in 1742, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” was first published in 1751. This poem’s use of dubbal entendre may lead the intended audience away from the overall theme of death, mourning, loss, despair and sadness; however, this poem clearly uses several literary devices to convey the author’s feelings toward the death of his friend Richard West, his beloved mother, aunt and those fallen soldiers of the Civil War. This essay will discuss how Gray uses that symbolism and dubbal entendre throughout the poem to convey the inevitability of death, mourning, conflict within self, finding virtue in one’s life, dealing with one’s misfortunes and giving recognition to those who would otherwise seem insignificant.