The Brooks v. Sumner Affair

The Men:

The Brooks v. Sumner Affair

Benjamin Shepard

Thomas Stucker

Luke Fernandez

Periods 3 & 4, PACE

Are very important to the story...

Charles Sumner

Preston Brooks

Early Life and Education

• Born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1811

• Born in the Edgefield District of South Carolina, 1819

• Attended:

• Attended local schools

Harvard University (1830)

The Boston Latin School

Harvard Law School (1833)

• Degree from South Carolina College 1839

Later life and Political Career

Beliefs

Brooks

Sumner

Later Life and Political Career

&

• Co Founder of the Free Soil Party

Differences

• South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1844

• Opposed extending slavery

North

Geographic

South

• Elected to US Senate, 1851-Death

Rural, Agricultural

Urban, Industrialized

Economic Priorities

• Captain in Mexican War

Education

Extremely Formal

Informal; Small, Local Schools

• First for Free Soil, later Republican

Reserved

Outgoing, kind of violent

Personality Type

• Palmetto Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers

Free Soil, later Republican

Democrat

Political Parties

Slavery

Strongly Opposed

Advocated Fiercely

• Thirty-Third Congress, March 4, 1853-July 15, 1856

• Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations

• Resigns

• Served in the Committee on Privileges and Elections

• Committee of Expenditures in the Dept. of State

• Died early 1874

• Thirty-Fourth Congress, August 1, 1856- Death in Early 1857

The Event

Long Term Effects

• Both men are re-elected later that year.

• Brooks returns to the House

Brooks' Reaction

Very different Views...

• Sumner spends the next several years recovering.

• Two days later, he takes action

Immediately Afterward

Leading Up to the Event

• After they returned, there were no more fights

• Sumner is at his desk, looking over his speech

• Brooks & Sumner had been in Congress for a while

• "You've libeled my state and slandered my white-haired old relative, Senator Butler, and I've come to punish you for it."

Conclusion

• The Northerners were outraged, but the Southerners showed support by sending replacement canes to Brooks

• Preston Brooks assaulted Charles Sumner for his opinions

• One of the few times violence was used to settle conflicts

• Brooks starts hitting him with his cane, until it breaks

• Tensions started to mount on May 21, 1856

Foreshadowing

• Occurred years before the Civil War

• This act of violence and rebellion within the Government preceded the dark days to come for the United States

• Discussions of expanding Slavery into Western lands

• The House tried to expel Brooks, but couldn't get enough votes

• Sumner gives 2-day speech "THE CRIME AGAINST KANSAS"

• They fined him $300 instead

• Opposes the expansion of slavery, fiercely

Several other Congressmen had to pull Brooks off of Sumner.

• Brooks soon resigns

• Personally attacks Senator Andrew Butler, Brooks' cousin

• Sumner takes a leave of absence

• "Senator Butler has chosen a mistress. I mean the harlot, slavery."

• Also calls him an imbecile

Sources:

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S001068

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000885

http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp

http://www.bartleby.com/268/9/15.html

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/preston-brooks-attacks-charles-sumner