IX. Charles Sumner and Preston Brooks (1856)

Who was Charles Sumner?

A Massachusetts Republican senator and outspoken abolitionist who strongly opposed slavery and condemned the violence of proslavery forces in Kansas.

What was Sumner's Crime Against Kansas speech?

A 1856 Senate speech in which Sumner attacked the proslavery violence in Kansas and personally insulted South Carolina senator Andrew Butler, a defender of slavery.

Who was Andrew Butler?

A South Carolina senator and strong supporter of slavery whom Charles Sumner criticized and insulted in his Crime Against Kansas speech.

Who was Preston S. Brooks?

A South Carolina congressman and relative of Andrew Butler who attacked Charles Sumner with a cane in the Senate chamber in 1856.

What happened during the Sumner-Brooks incident?

After Sumner criticized proslavery politicians in his Crime Against Kansas speech, Preston Brooks beat him with a cane on the Senate floor, seriously injuring him and forcing him to leave the Senate for several years.

How did Northerners react to the caning of Charles Sumner?

Many Northerners viewed Sumner as a victim of Southern brutality and celebrated him as a martyr for the antislavery cause, increasing their hostility toward the South.

How did Southerners react to Preston Brooks attacking Sumner?

Many Southerners praised Brooks for defending Southern honor, and some even sent him replacement canes after his original cane broke.

Why was the Sumner-Brooks incident significant?

It showed that sectional violence had reached the halls of Congress itself. The North and South increasingly viewed each other as enemies, making compromise more difficult.

Why can the Sumner-Brooks incident be considered an early blow of the Civil War?

Violence that had previously occurred in Kansas now occurred inside the federal government, showing how deeply sectional hatred had spread.