Strip the proud nobility of their bloated estates, reduce them to a level with plain republicans, send forth to labor, and teach their children to enter the workshops or handle the plow, and you will thus humble proud traitors.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that wealthy and powerful people should be forced to work like everyone else and have their large properties taken away. This would punish those who have acted against the country and make them realize that they are not better than ordinary citizens. The goal is to make the proud and traitorous people humble and equal to the common people.
About Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens was a powerful American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was a fierce opponent of slavery and a leader of the Radical Republican faction during the Civil War era, playing a crucial role in the government’s financial policies and the fight for equal rights for freed slaves.
More quotes from Thaddeus Stevens
Strip the proud nobility of their bloated estates, reduce them to a level with plain republicans, send forth to labor, and teach their children to enter the workshops or handle the plow, and you will thus humble proud traitors.
American statesman (1792-1868)
The future condition of the conquered power depends on the will of the conquerer.
American statesman (1792-1868)