On June 13, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the House of Representatives and the nation's most prominent Radical Republican, addressed his congressional colleagues on the issue of the Fourteenth Amendment. The purpose of this amendment was to secure the fruits of Union victory in the Civil War by guaranteeing equal civil rights for the freed slaves and loyal governments in the South. Stevens had a public career that included the "Slave Power" and for equal rights for black Americans. He refused to sign the state of Pennsylvania's new frame of government because it abrogated the right of the African American to vote, he fought against the expansion of slavery, and during the secession crisis, opposed compromise with the South. Once the Civil War began, he was among the first to advocate the emancipation of slaves and the enrollment of black soldiers. During the era of Reconstruction, he was the most prominent advocate, for example, of distributing land to former slaves so that they might have an economic foundation for their freedom.
             Stevens gave a speech on June 13 of his political creed. A few moments later, the Fourteenth Amendment was approved by the House with a final vote of 120-32. Three days later, having been approved by the Senate shortly before the House vote, the amendment was sent to the states for ratification. It became a part of the Constitution on July 28, 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibited the states from abridging the equality before the law of American citizens, provided for a reduction in representation in Congress should any state deprive male citizens the right to vote, excluded Confederates who had previously taken a constitutional oath from holding state or federal office, and prohibited payment of the Confederate debt. In May 1865, President Andrew Johnson announced his plan for reuniting the nation, launching the era of presidential Reconstruction. The essentials of his Reconstruction plan a...