Bruce Levine
retired Professor of History
Bruce Levine is the J. G. Randall Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Illinois. He previously taught at the University of Cincinnati and then at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has published five books on the Civil War era, including The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution that Transformed the South (2013) and Thaddeus Stevens: Civil War Revolutionary and Fighter for Racial Justice (2021). His essay entitled “‘The Vital Element in the Republican Party’: Antislavery, Nativism, and Abraham Lincoln” appeared in the Journal of the Civil War Era in December 2011.
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April 8, 2025
Meet Thaddeus Stevens: The Original Civil Rights Advocate
Thaddeus Stevens was a titan of American history, and as one of the fiercest opponents of slavery, he played a pivotal role in shaping key amendments and policies during the Civil War and Reconstruction. You might be surprised to learn he’s often dubbed the "father of the 14th Amendment" and was a hardcore advocate for racial justice—talk about a legacy! But hold onto your hats, because this guy was also known for his radical ideas, like land redistribution for freed slaves, which, spoiler alert, didn’t exactly win him any popularity contests. Join us as we have a conversation with Bruce Levine, author of a gripping biography on Stevens, and explore why this revolutionary figure deserves a spot in the limelight of American history!
Guest: Bruce Levine