Two authors of books about two important Civil War and Reconstruction congressmen will speak and sign their books at a free presentation in the social hall of Christ Lutheran Church at 30 Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg, PA, on Friday, May 16, at 6 p.m.
The authors are Jeffry Boutwell, whose book is Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy, and Dylan Waugh, author of Thaddeus Stevens: Forgotten Champion of Racial Equity. The subjects of both books worked closely together during their time in the House of Representatives to make the United States a more equal society.
Boutwell, a distant relative of his subject, tells about how George Sewall Boutwell fought for racial and economic equality alongside Stevens and presidents Lincoln and Grant. His political career stretched from 1840 to 1905 and he was involved in such matters as funding the Union war effort, facilitating Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, impeaching President Andrew Johnson and enacting the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
Waugh’s book, aimed at readers 9 to 12, gives an excellent account of Stevens life from his start as a poor boy in Vermont to becoming the most powerful congressman during and after the Civil War. Waugh was inspired to write the book after watching the movie Lincoln, which included the Stevens character. Waugh hopes to teach young readers the lessons from Stevens life to remember that everyone has value and should be treated equally; do the right thing, even when it is unpopular and hard; and learn from your mistakes and always try to improve as a person.
Both books are on sale at For the Historian bookstore at 42 York Street in Gettysburg.
The program is sponsored by the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which operates the Thaddeus Stevens Museum at 46 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA, which is open from 10am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday. More information about the May 16 event and the museum is available by emailing info@thaddeusstevenssociety.com or calling 717-347-8159.
Featured image caption: Boutwell
Ross Hetrick is president and founder of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which is dedicated to promoting Stevens's important legacy. Hetrick was a business reporter for 18 years in Baltimore and owned Ross's Coffeehouse & Eatery in Gettysburg from 1996 to 2004.