Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction, which granted citizenship to all persons born in the US. Stevens was unwavering in his desire to see the "infernal blot" of slavery removed from the republic. Thaddeus Stevens was born on April 4, 1792, in Danville, Vermont. Stevens had a difficult childhood, growing up fatherless, poor, and with a club foot. After high school, he attended Dartmouth college, and subsequently passed his bar exam and began practicing law. He was a radical Republican leader and one of the most powerful members in the U.S. House of Representatives. He focused much of his political
