Charles Sumner Beaten By Preston Brooks- 1856

During the time of Bleeding Kansas in 1856 great violence took place on the Senate Floor. Following the Kansas-Nebraska Act Senator Charles Sumner went on a 2-day speech saying how it was a “crime against Kansas”. During this speech he mentioned a few names and not in a good way. One of those names happened to be Andrew Butler and unfortunately for Sumner, Butler’s cousin Congressman Preston Brooks was present. Angered by his speech Preston stepped in and savagely beat Sumner with his cane. In the position Sumner was in at his desk he had no way of escaping the attack and was stuck getting beat, Thankfully one of his fellow senators’ finally stepped in and removed Brooks. It was three years before Sumner was fully recovered and returned to the Senate. This incident did not phase the people in the south as much as it did the people in the north. Northerners were outraged by this because they saw Sumner as one of their own. Conflict was most definitely brought up between the north and south due to this.