For further context: Thaddeus Stevens was asked by Abraham Lincoln and his abolitionist allies to tone down his words in order to gain votes from conservative Republicans, leaning Democrats, and win the general public.
He needed to declare that the passing of the 13th Amendment was not for racial equality but for equality before the law. Establishing it as a matter of racial equality might have lost support, as it was considered too radical at the time.
submitted by /u/CorleoneBaloney [comments]
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