Our story starts with a lawyer named Thaddeus Stevens, who was born in Vermont in 1792.

Early on in Thaddeus’s job as a lawyer he took the case of a slave owner trying to retrieve escaped slaves from the North, and won!

After winning his case, instead of feeling triumphant he was filled with sadness upon seeing the freed slaves return to their previous lives of misery.

After Thaddeus was confronted by the consequences his actions had on the slaves, he decided to switch sides, and fight for abolition and equality.

Hi

Hello

Thaddeus also happened to know another lawyer and Congressmen who shared his beliefs on abolition, and his name was Abraham Lincoln.

Im here now, and a bit older

Later, Thaddeus was elected to Congress as part of the Whig Party in 1850 for a 4 year term.

During his term in Congress Thaddeus repeatedly called for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for the slaves.

I'm back!

After Thaddeus’s term with the Whig Party ended, he returned to working as a lawyer, but was again elected to congress as part of the Republican Party in 1857.