A Level History - America - Practice Exam

Who created the Wade-Davis Bill?

1. Abraham Lincoln

2. Ulysses S. Grant

3. Thaddeus Stevens

4. Andrew Johnson

The correct answer is: Thaddeus Stevens

The Wade-Davis Bill was primarily created by Thaddeus Stevens, along with fellow Radical Republican Senator Benjamin Wade. This legislation emerged during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War, and it represented a significant push by the Radical Republicans to impose stricter requirements for the readmission of Southern states into the Union. Stevens, a prominent advocate for civil rights and equality for freed slaves, believed that the Reconstruction process should include strong safeguards to ensure that the Southern states were fully committed to the Union and to the rights of African Americans. The bill stipulated that a majority of white male citizens in a Southern state needed to take a loyalty oath to the Union before that state could be restored, which was a much harsher stance than that proposed by President Abraham Lincoln's more lenient Reconstruction plan. This legislative effort was significant because it highlighted the deep divisions within the Republican Party regarding how to approach Reconstruction and the reintegration of Southern states after the war. Lincoln ultimately pocket-vetoed the Wade-Davis Bill, which underscored the tension between the executive and legislative branches during this transformative period in American history.