Thaddeus Stevens
Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Lawyer, congressman, defender of free public schools, abolitionist, lies buried in the rear of this cemetery. He believed in the "Equality of man before his Creator." Resided in Lancaster from 1842 until his death, 1868.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Thaddeus Stevens made Lancaster his home from 1842 until his death in 1868 and lies buried in this cemetery, which he chose because it admitted people of all races. As a congressman he was among the fiercest advocates for abolition, equal rights, and free public schooling, insisting on the "equality of man before his Creator." His epitaph, which he wrote himself, made his lifelong convictions his final statement.
Why it matters
Stevens was a leading architect of Reconstruction and one of the 19th century's most uncompromising voices for Black equality, shaping the constitutional amendments that redefined American citizenship.
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