Charles Sumner Is Attacked On The Floor

On may 22 1856 representative preston brooks attacked senator charles sumner with a metal tipped cane leaving sumner seriously injured.

Charles sumner is attacked on the floor. A nearly fatal beating on the u s. The speech sumner had given of course had been about kansas. On may 19 massachusetts senator charles sumner an ardent abolitionist began a two day speech on the senate floor in which he decried the crime against kansas and blasted three of his. Senate during the american civil war during reconstruction he fought to minimize the power of the ex.

Charles sumner r mass a fierce foe of slavery suffered major injuries when he was assaulted on the senate floor by rep. On this day in 1856 preston brooks a congressman from south carolina viciously attacked massachusetts senator charles sumner on the floor of the united states senate. Senate floor on this day in 1856 was another step toward a civil war five years later. On this date representative preston brooks of south carolina accompanied by representative laurence keitt of south carolina severely beat senator charles sumner of massachusetts with a cane in the senate chamber.

Three days earlier in a passionate anti slavery speech sumner had used language southerners found deeply offensive. Passions ran high in the years leading up to the civil war. Attack on senator charles sumner. Brooks s violent act was in response to a speech in which sumner attacked the institution of slavery and pro slavery senators such as andrew butler of south carolina brooks s.

But the attacker wasn t an assassin he was a fellow elected representative. The caning of charles sumner or the brooks sumner affair occurred on may 22 1856 in the united states senate when representative preston brooks a pro slavery democrat from south carolina used a walking cane to attack senator charles sumner an abolitionist republican from massachusetts in retaliation for a speech given by sumner two days earlier in which he fiercely criticized. On this day in 1856 sen. It is believed that firebrand john brown and his supporters were inspired by the beating of sumner to attack pro enslavement settlers.

And in kansas news of the savage beating on the senate floor arrived by telegraph and inflamed passions even more.