the Thaddeus Stevens "forty acres and a mule" proposal

On this day in 1866, Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) introduced legislation to implement "forty acres and a mule" relief by distributing land to former slaves.  The bill never was passed in Congress, in part due to opposition from Democrat President Andrew Johnson.  Interestingly, while the Stevens bill did mention forty acres, it said nothing of a mule.  Instead, each family of ex-slaves was to receive forty dollars, then worth several mules.

Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, showing office-holders, candidates and activists how they would benefit tremendously from appreciating our Party's heritage of civil rights achievement.  Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the acclaimed history of the GOP from the Republican point of view.  See www.republicanbasics.com for more information.