Charles Sumner Beatdown

Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts. For more info go to http://www.history.com/topics/charles-sumner

Charles Sumner was a leader for the Republican Party. He gave a speech called “The Crime Against Kansas” which is about freeing slaves. Sumner was the leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate before and during the American Civil War working to destroy the Confederacy, free all the slaves, and keep on good terms with Europe.

Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina thought Sumner went too far. He was not happy that Sumner was an abolitionist. He called out Senator Brooks in his speech. Two days after the end of Sumner’s speech, Brooks entered the Senate Chamber where Sumner was working at his desk. He told Sumner, "You've libeled my state and slandered my white-haired old relative, Senator Butler, and I've come to punish you for it." Then Brooks went up and beat Sumner with his cane. He was also an abolitionist, so he did not like the idea of slaves in the US. Brooks was arrested and had a fine of 500 dollars.

It was microcosm because people were fighting about how states should be slave states or not. People we getting hurt and dying because of slavery problems.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Southern_Chivalry.jpg

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Caning_of_Senator_Charles_Sumner.htm

http://www.history.com