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A stern chairman with an acid wit, Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania kept purse strings. His fiscal duties and his parliamentary prowess made him the most important congressman n the House or Representatives during the Civil War. His forceful leadership, which encouraged the use of tax and banking subcommittees during the conflict, greatly increased the productivity of Ways and Means. Stevens supported stronger antislavery policies than those of Lincoln and advocated harsh conditions for the defeated South, a sharp departure from the President's conciliatory approach to Reconstruction. After the Civil War, Stevens headed the Joint Committee on Reconstruction and led the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson. |
