Thaddeus Stevens: Civil War Revolutionary, Fighter for Racial Justice by Bruce Levine published by Simon & Schuster (March 2, 2021).
Older readers remember that in our youths Thaddeus Stevens was a viewed as a disreputable figure whose image was molded by the film Birth of a Nation into a fanatical hater of the South. Since many Americans could not conceive of a white man motivated by by a desire to end White Supremacy, envy of the Southern chivalry or lust for Black women were the motives typically assigned to him. The increased value placed on Black lives during the Civil Rights Movement upped Old Thad’s worth on the esteem market. Hans L. Trefousse’s 1997 biography was an important scholarly reappraisal. Tommy Lee Jones memorably portrayed Stevens as a witty, angry, and mostly principled radical who could win real-world victories for the rights of African Americans in the biopic Lincoln. Now Bruce Levine adds a new examination of the Great Commoner’s life.
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