Your statement about Thaddeus Stevens isn't correct. Yes, Stevens did want to punish the south, but he was staunchly opposed to slavery and was a strong propon

Your statement about Thaddeus Stevens isn't correct. Yes, Stevens did want to punish the south, but he was staunchly opposed to slavery and was a strong proponent of civil rights (even more so than Abraham Lincoln was). Early in Stevens' legal career, he was hired by a Maryland slave owner who wanted him to represent the slaver in a court case to retrieve a runaway slave named Charity Butler. Stevens used his wit and skills in the courtroom to win the case, by proving that Charity Butler had not lived in Pennsylvania for six consecutive months, thereby failing the legal requirement to declare herself free. Stevens won the case, but was then distraught over having cost three people (Charity Butler and her children) their freedom. After that, he became a powerful force in the abolitionist movement. You cannot dismiss Stevens' actions as just wanting to punish the south. He wanted to eliminate slavery in America and fix the damage that had been done to those who were slaves, and he did an extremely good job.