House Bill 65 (HB 65) wants to rename a Lancaster area bridge after Thaddeus Stevens. The bridge in question is the one that will be constructed on SR 222, over the Amtrak rail lines. The bridge is currently simply referred to as the Lititz Pike Bridge.
The prime sponsor of HB 65 is P. Michael Sturla, a Democrat from Lancaster City. Rep. Sturla serves the 96th District. The bill was refereered to the Transportation Committee in January. Yesterday (13 May 2013) was the first consideration and the bill was laid on the table.
Stevens was a statesman, civil rights activist and philanthropist. In his Memoranda, Rep. Sturla writes:
Born 4 April 1792 in Vermont, he was the son of Joshua and Sally Morril Stevens. He had three siblings. He graduated Dartmouth College and moved to York, PA where he taught school and studied law. In 1816 he moved to Gettysburg, PA. He then settled in Lancaster in 1842 where he eventually made his name.
A legal case in 1821 led Stevens to reconsider his views and, upon reflection, started him on his well known abolutionist road. The case had involved Charity Butler and her two children. They had run away to Pennsylvania from a Maryland slaveowner. Butler had claimed that she could be declared free under state law since she had lived in Pennsylvania - a free state - for more than six months. However, Stevens showed they had not lived in the state for six consecutive months and won the case. Stevens is said to have been appalled that he sent three souls back to slavery and became an abolitionist.
Locally (Lancaster County) he is best known for his role in the Christiana Riot Treason Trials. The trials attracted the attention of the nation. Thirty-eight men were indicted on 117 counts of treason by a grand jury in Lancaster County. This was the largest number of Americans ever charged with treason in the history of the United States. Castner Hanway was one of those 38 men. Deputy Marshal Kline accused Hanway of leading the mob and refusing to aid in the recapture of escaped slaves. Stevens defended Hanway in his 18 day trial. Hanway was found not guilty of treason.
Stevens never married though it is widely believed and accepted that he shared an intimate relationship with his housekeeper, Lydia Hamilton Smith.
The prime sponsor of HB 65 is P. Michael Sturla, a Democrat from Lancaster City. Rep. Sturla serves the 96th District. The bill was refereered to the Transportation Committee in January. Yesterday (13 May 2013) was the first consideration and the bill was laid on the table.
Stevens was a statesman, civil rights activist and philanthropist. In his Memoranda, Rep. Sturla writes:
As you may be aware, Thaddeus Stevens was a lifelong public servant dedicated to ensuring justice, equality, and opportunity for all citizens. Stevens spent eight years in the Pennsylvania State Legislature and later represented Pennsylvania in the United States Congress from 1849 to 1853 and again from 1858 until his death in 1868. During his years in office, Thaddeus Stevens fought for the preservation of public education in Pennsylvania, emancipation of the slaves, passage of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is named in his honor.Stevens is widely considered to be the most powerful congressman during the Civil War Era. He was a Radical Republican within th eRepublican Party and was a staunch opponent of slavery.
Born 4 April 1792 in Vermont, he was the son of Joshua and Sally Morril Stevens. He had three siblings. He graduated Dartmouth College and moved to York, PA where he taught school and studied law. In 1816 he moved to Gettysburg, PA. He then settled in Lancaster in 1842 where he eventually made his name.
Locally (Lancaster County) he is best known for his role in the Christiana Riot Treason Trials. The trials attracted the attention of the nation. Thirty-eight men were indicted on 117 counts of treason by a grand jury in Lancaster County. This was the largest number of Americans ever charged with treason in the history of the United States. Castner Hanway was one of those 38 men. Deputy Marshal Kline accused Hanway of leading the mob and refusing to aid in the recapture of escaped slaves. Stevens defended Hanway in his 18 day trial. Hanway was found not guilty of treason.
Stevens never married though it is widely believed and accepted that he shared an intimate relationship with his housekeeper, Lydia Hamilton Smith.
