A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor

Summary

HISTORY This Week: "A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor" - Detailed Summary

Episode Title: A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor
Release Date: May 19, 2025
Host/Author: The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios

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Introduction

In the episode titled "A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor," Sally Helm and expert guest Steve Puglio delve into the harrowing events that unfolded on May 19, 1856, when South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks violently attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor. This act of political violence not only left Sumner severely injured but also served as a catalyst that further polarized the United States, hastening the nation's march toward the Civil War.

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The Antecedents: Rising Tensions Over Slavery

The early to mid-1800s in America were marked by intense conflicts over the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 attempted to maintain a balance between free and slave states, but subsequent tensions only escalated these divisions.

Steve Puglio explains:

"In the early 1800s, one major disagreement between the north and the south is whether slavery should be allowed in the territories west of the Mississippi River. As these regions become states, they threaten to upset a delicate balance."
(02:30)

The Compromise of 1850 sought to address these issues but ultimately failed to quell the mounting animosity. The introduction of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 exacerbated conflicts, compelling Northern states to participate in the enforcement of slavery laws, thereby deepening Northern resentment.

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The Genesis of Charles Sumner's Activism

Charles Sumner, an abolitionist senator from Massachusetts, emerged as a vocal critic of slavery. Steve Puglio highlights Sumner's transformation:

"Sumner is unbiable, he was unbribeable. So all that is part and parcel, I think, of being a real strong lone wolf."
(09:06)

Sumner's fervent stance against slavery set him apart as a formidable figure in the Senate, earning both admiration and animosity. His dedication was further solidified by personal tragedies, such as the case of Thomas Sims, an enslaved man whose escape and subsequent recapture under the Fugitive Slave Act galvanized Sumner's abolitionist fervor.

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Preston Brooks: The Southern Avenger

Preston Brooks, a 33-year-old plantation owner from Edgefield, South Carolina, epitomized the Southern pro-slavery sentiment. Despite being viewed as a moderate upon his election to the House of Representatives in 1853, Brooks' actions revealed a volatile temperament fueled by honor and defense of Southern ideals.

Steve Puglio describes Brooks:

"He sees the writing on the wall that the abolitionist movement is becoming stronger and sees how this is going to impact him personally."
(16:02)

Brooks' aggressive defense of Southern honor and slavery positioned him as a potential adversary for Sumner, especially as tensions continued to rise following the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the ensuing violence in "Bleeding Kansas."

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The Fateful Speech: Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas"

In response to the escalating violence in Kansas and the oppressive laws imposed by pro-slavery legislators, Sumner delivered a scathing four-hour speech in the Senate, titled "The Crime Against Kansas." This address vehemently criticized the Fugitive Slave Act and condemned pro-slavery senators, notably targeting Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina.

Steve Puglio recounts Sumner's preparation:

"He writes and rewrites the speech by hand. He practices the speech, all five hours of it, for friends."
(18:18)

Notable Quote:

“Then every time he opened his mouth, out flew a blunder.”
— Sumner referring to Butler's impaired speech.
(21:31)

The speech, replete with classical references and personal attacks, polarized the Senate. While Northerners were invigorated by Sumner's unwavering stance, Southerners perceived him as an uncompromising foe.

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The Assault: Brooks Canes Sumner

Two days post-speech, on May 19, 1856, Preston Brooks enacted his plan to retaliate against Sumner's offensive remarks. Entering the Senate chamber with his distinctive gutta-percha cane, Brooks approached Sumner's desk seemingly unaware of the impending violence.

Sally Helm narrates:

"Brooks limps up to Sumner's desk and says his name twice. Sumner looks up. Who is this guy?"
(23:31)

Brooks delivered his infamous caning with brutal efficiency:

"I hit him with 30 first-rate stripes. Every one of them went entirely where I intended."
— Preston Brooks
(25:10)

Sumner was left severely wounded, both physically and mentally, unable to return to his Senate duties and spiraling into depression.

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Aftermath and Escalation of Division

The caning had profound repercussions:

• Sumner's Injury: He suffered from severe injuries, including brain trauma and spinal injuries, which left him incapacitated for years.

"Charles Sumner is seriously injured as a result of the caning. You know, he has concussion, he has brain trauma, he has spinal injuries, he has back injuries..."
(28:28)

• Brooks' Hero Status: In the South, Brooks was hailed as a hero, his act of aggression celebrated in town parades and memorialized by supporters.

"Pieces from the cane used in the attack are turned into rings that Brooks supporters wear on chains around their necks."
(29:48)

• Northern Outrage: Conversely, the North was appalled by the violence, solidifying anti-slavery sentiments and diminishing hopes for reconciliation.

"Northern voters go looking for a political party that reflects their outrage and their growing resistance to compromise."
(31:24)

This event significantly undermined any remaining efforts at political compromise between North and South, contributing to the rising urgency that would lead to the Civil War.

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Legacy and Historical Impact

The caning of Charles Sumner stands as a stark symbol of the deep-seated animosity and division within the United States during the 1850s. It not only exemplified the extremes to which political conflict could escalate but also underscored the failure of dialogue and compromise in addressing the nation's most pressing moral crisis.

Steve Puglio concludes:

"What his funeral said to the North is man. Maybe we could have attributed this to just one hotheaded Southerner. But this kind of response, this kind of reaction means maybe, maybe this ability to reconcile, maybe it's too late to do that."
(31:43)

The episode effectively illustrates how a single act of violence can symbolize and intensify broader societal conflicts, shaping the course of history in irreversible ways.

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Conclusion

"A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor" offers a comprehensive exploration of the events surrounding the attack on Charles Sumner, contextualizing its significance within the broader tapestry of American history. Through expert analysis and poignant narratives, HISTORY This Week elucidates how personal vendettas and political ideologies coalesced into a pivotal moment that exacerbated national tensions, paving the way for the Civil War.

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Notable Quotes:

• “He was unbiable, he was unbribeable.” — Steve Puglio on Charles Sumner
  (09:06)

• “There no right in the Constitution for Congress to make a king, nor is there any right in the Constitution for Congress to make a slave.” — Charles Sumner's Speech
  (10:24)

• “I hit him with 30 first-rate stripes. Every one of them went entirely where I intended.” — Preston Brooks
  (25:10)

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References:

• Books Mentioned:
  • Great Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union by Steve Puglio
  • Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War by David Donald
  • The Caning of Charles Sumner by William James Hull Hoffer

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Stay updated with more insightful historical narratives by subscribing to HISTORY This Week.

Transcript

[Sally Helm]

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[Sally Helm]

History this week, May 22, 1856 I'm Sally Helm. The cane weighs less than a pound. It's made of a kind of natural, hard, plasticky material called gutta percha, and it has a heavy gold head. At the time, this kind of lightweight cane might typically be used to discipline a dog, but South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks has been using it as a walking stick. Also typical. Nothing strange about it. So when he thumps down the aisle of the quiet Senate chambers today, a warm Thursday afternoon, no one takes much notice. Some lawmakers and visitors are milling about, and one senator is sitting at his desk signing copies of a recent speech. He's an abolitionist, represents the people of Massachusetts. Senator Charles Sumner. Brooks stops at Sumner's desk. Mr. Sumner, he says in a low voice, but the senator is engrossed in his work. Mr. Sumner, he says again. This time Sumner looks up, squinting as he tries to place the man. I have read your speech twice over carefully, brooks says in a distinct Southern accent. It is a libel on South Carolina. Upon hearing this, Sumner moves to stand. Brooks raises the cane high into the air and strikes Today the caning of Charles Sumner. How did partisan tensions lead to to a shocking act of political violence? And how did this attack help drive Americans towards civil war? It's possible you've heard of the caning of Charles Sumner. Maybe you once wrote it down in middle school on a social studies flashcard. And the context of this story? It is full of other American history vocab words The Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850. It can be easy to forget how dramatic these events were and how bloody. In the early 1800s, one major disagreement between the north and the south is whether slavery should be allowed in the territories west of the Mississippi River. As these regions become states, they threaten to upset a delicate balance. Add a free state without also adding a slave state or vice versa, and one side can suddenly outvote the other in Washington and impose its will on the entire country. First, there's a struggle over whether to allow slavery in Missouri. When a congressman from New York proposes banning it, a Georgia representative tells him, you have kindled a fire which all the waters of the oce cannot put out, which seas of blood can only extinguish. So the Missouri Compromise of 1820, an attempt to keep the peace. Then after 1848, there's a whole new batch of territories to deal with. Slave state or free? In that debate, a Mississippi senator draws a pistol on the Senate floor. Doesn't shoot. Lawmakers come up with the Compromise of 1850. But tensions seem to be only getting worse. And as slavery expands into the territories, more and more anti slavery forces are turning to what many consider a radical idea. Slavery shouldn't just be contained, it should be abolished. Now this is when Charles Sumner enters the scene. Steve Puglio is the author of a new biography of Sumner. He told us Sumner is elected to the Senate in April of 1851.

[Steve Puglio]

And it comes right on the heels of, and I think directly as a result of Boston sending its very first fugitive slave back to slavery. A man by the name of Thomas Sims.

[Sally Helm]

Without Thomas Sims, there may not have even been a senator. Charles Sumner SIMS is a 23 year old enslaved man in Savannah, Georgia. But he escapes.

[Steve Puglio]

He hops on a small boat, a brig, which heads up the east coast and lands in Boston. He's a stowaway. He hides for a while in Boston, but then finally kind of emerges, heads to the downtown area. But slave hunters come after him, as was the case he in this time period.

[Sally Helm]

And not just slave hunters. Also Boston police officers, Southern slave hunters and northern law enforcement are collaborating because of a new law, the Fugitive Slave act of 1850. Another social studies flashcard with a bloody history behind it. For escapees like Thomas Sims, that law means that northern free cities are now free, full of danger, because Northerners are now required to send men like Sims back to slavery. Sims is captured by Boston police. A Boston court confirms that he is indeed the property of one James Potter of Georgia. And at 4:15am on a chilly April morning, Sims is brought through the streets of Boston surrounded by 200 soldiers and police officers marching in a square.

[Steve Puglio]

Around that square are abolitionists, for the most part, Boston abolitionists hissing and crying shame, shame. One abolitionist cries out to Sims, preach freedom to the slaves. And Sims replies back, is this your idea of freedom? And Sims is marched down to the docks, placed on another ship and setback to slavery. It's a really eerie scene and it.

[Sally Helm]

Leads anti slavery activists in the north to take a hard look at their tactics. All their protests and legal arguments couldn't keep Sims safe. Maybe the time for papers and pretty words is over.

[Steve Puglio]

It really flips the switch on the abolitionist movement from a movement that is mostly speech making, editorial writing to one of militancy.

[Sally Helm]

Work accelerates on the Underground Railroad, with black and white volunteers breaking the law to help smuggle runaway slaves to safety in Canada. And just weeks after Sims is sent back to Georgia, Massachusetts lawmakers take a stand by choosing an anti slavery activist to represent their state in the U.S. senate, Charles Sumner. Sumner was a lawyer by training. And the first thing you would have noticed about him is that he was huge, 6 foot 4, a giant for his time. The second thing you would have noticed if you'd tried to talk to him is that he was kind of insufferable.

[Steve Puglio]

He is your classic kind of Harvard elitist who has a difficult time with people. He has almost no sense of humor. One of his Harvard classmates even said, you could say to Charles Sumner that the moon is made of green cheese and he would spend three hours is explaining to you scientifically why that could not be so.

[Sally Helm]

But what he lacked in likability, Sumner made up for in strength of character. He would bang on the drum of his beliefs no matter the consequences.

[Steve Puglio]

He was unbiable, he was unbribeable. So all that is part and parcel, I think, of being a real strong lone wolf.

[Sally Helm]

And one of the main ways that comes up is abolition. Sumner thinks slavery should be eliminated, and in 1851, that is still a radical position. An economic alliance between Southern slaveholders and northern business interests keeps it on the political fringe. But Sumner being Sumner, he speaks his mind anyway, no matter how unpopular his ideas are. During a discussion in the Senate about funding the Fugitive Slave act, how to pay for all those extra police officers and court officials to remove the likes of Thomas Sims, Sumner gets up and delivers what Steve Pulio says is the first major anti slavery speech in U.S. senate history. And keep in mind, the Civil War is nearly a decade away. Abraham Lincoln is a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. In Sumner's four hour address, which he delivers from memory, he argues that slavery is antithetical to America's founding principles and that Congress lacks the authority to establish slavery in the territories or anywhere else.

[Steve Puglio]

There's no right in the Constitution for Congress to make a king, nor is there any right in the Constitution for Congress to make a slave.

[Sally Helm]

Therefore, he declares, the Fugitive Slave act is unconstitutional. He asks the Senate to abolish it. One by one the Senators vote and the result? He loses the vote 474 a resounding no. Even Sumner didn't think he'd lose that badly. But Pulio says there's an important silver lining.

[Steve Puglio]

The speech changes the whole tenor of the slavery debate. The north hears a voice that they think might be a conscience voice. The south hears a voice that says, oh, this guy does not seem like he's the compromising type on this issue. We have to keep our eye on him.

[Sally Helm]

Sumner is now the loudest anti slavery voice in the Senate and he becomes a political lightning rod. The threats to put a bullet through my head and hang me have been frequent, he confesses to a friend. I have always said, let them come. They will find me at my post. One Southerner who will keep a close eye on Sumner is a rich 33 year old plantation owner with a bad limp and a worse temper. His name is Preston S. Brooks. History this Week is now in its sixth season. Kind of crazy and we love bringing you these stories. All of our work is supported by the ads you hear on the show, but if you don't want to hear those ads, we're now introducing history this week plus available exclusively on Apple Podcasts for just $2.99 per month. You'll get all of our new episodes without any of the ads and we'll be adding ad free versions of our older episodes too. So subscribe now and get your first week free. History this Week plus Exclusively on Apple Podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Enterprise Mobility. From Fleet Management to Flexible truck Rentals to Technology Solutions, Enterprise Mobility helps businesses find the right mobility solutions so they can find new opportunities. Because if your business is on the road, they want to make sure it's on the road to success. Enterprise Mobility moving you moves the world. Find your road@enterprise mobility.com.

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[Sally Helm]

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[Steve Puglio]

He is seen by a lot of Northern congressmen as somebody that you can reach out to to talk about legislation. There are areas where he believes there's common ground between the two.

[Sally Helm]

But just as the fugitive Slave act radicalizes anti slavery folks in the North. It also radicalizes pro slavery Southerners like Preston Brooks.

[Steve Puglio]

He sees the writing on the wall that the abolitionist movement is becoming stronger and sees how this is going to impact him personally but most of the south and becomes much, much more fervent in his sense, Secessionist fever. He also delivers some really interesting speeches about Northern hypocrisy. He chastises the northern congressmen for relying on cheap southern cotton as a major part of their economy, while at the same time blasting them for slavery in general.

[Sally Helm]

By 1854, tensions over slavery are mounting higher and higher thanks to a new law called the Kansas Nebraska act. For over 30 years the US has admitted states as either free or slave, trying to maintain that delicate balance. But this new law gives voters in Kansas and Nebraska the power to choose themselves. Very democratic in theory. In practice, it leads to violent chaos. Thousands of pro and anti slavery south settlers rush to Kansas to sway the vote.

[Steve Puglio]

All hell breaks loose. There is property destruction, there is violence, there is mayhem, there is murder.

[Sally Helm]

The conflict comes to be called bleeding Kansas. At one point, Kansas has two legislatures, one pro slavery and one anti slavery. The pro slavery legislature, recognized by US President Franklin Pierce, passes what are seen as some of the harshest laws ever put in place on American soil. Just possessing abolitionist literature is punishable by death. A steady stream of news like this is reaching Charles Sumner back on the East Coast.

[Steve Puglio]

Charles Sumner hears from hundreds of Kansans who write and say what are you going to do about this? You are our speaker and you are our conscience. These anti slavery people in Kansas in the midst of all this violence, are looking to Sumner to do something.

[Sally Helm]

Sumner can't of course single handedly change any laws. But he can do what he does best. He can give a speech. And not just any speech. This will be his biggest, boldest one yet. A speech that will change his life and American history. Though not for the reason that he expects. Sumner spends two months preparing. He knows that his listeners are expecting the greatest speech maker of the era to deliver dazzling political theater. He also arranges for the speech to be reprinted and distributed across the country. It is the super bowl halftime show of speeches. He wants to boost the cause of of anti slavery and totally skewer his political enemies. And what better way to diss your enemies than with lots of references to the classics. Sumner hit the books. Cicero, Virgil, Dante. He tears through the Library of Congress like he's cramming for an exam. He writes and rewrites the speech by hand. He Practices the speech, all five hours of it, for friends. And their reaction is, Charles, this speech is really offensive. Maybe tone it down. But Sumner, who was never that good at reading the room, is like, no way. Shock is the whole point. He wants to shock the conscience of the Senate and reset the nation's moral compass. On the day of the speech, May 19, 1856, the Senate chamber is packed. The New York Post reports not only were the galleries thronged to their utmost capacity with ladies and gentlemen, but all the doorways were completely blocked up with listeners. Almost every senator and many congressmen are there. Even the ladies gallery is overflowing, which rarely happens. I picture a sea of hand fans fluttering in the 90 degree heat. Sumner shows up in a light colored tweed coat and lavender trousers. He's memorized the entire speech, all 112 typed pages, as great orators did back then. And as promised, he brings the heat.

[Steve Puglio]

He goes after the senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler, maybe one of the strongest pro slavery senators from the strongest pro slavery state, and says things like, andrew Butler has a mistress who is polluted in the eyes of the rest of us, but beautiful and chaste in his eyes. And I am talking about the harlot slavery. So he uses this imagery of harlot in a way to go after Butler in this very personal way.

[Sally Helm]

The harlot slavery. It's the most memorable line in the speech. Sumner also delivers some seriously low blows against Senator Butler, who is too sick to attend. At one point, he mocks Butler's impaired speech, the result of a stroke.

[Steve Puglio]

He literally would spit as he tried to speak. And Sumner talked about Butler expectorating every time he spoke. And you know the double meaning says, and every time he opened his mouth, out flew a blunder.

[Sally Helm]

Ouch. As Sumner sounds off, one prominent senator remarks, that damn fool is gonna get himself killed by another damn fool. The speech takes two days to deliver, and when it's over, all anybody can talk about are the personal attacks. Reactions follow partisan lines. Many Northerners are pumped, many Southerners are pissed. Senator Butler is too sick to defend himself, but he happens to have a second cousin with a fighting streak. Everywhere he goes, Representative Preston Brooks is getting one. Are you going to let this stand? Brooks considers challenging Sumner to a duel. But. But duels are for gentlemen, and to Brooks, Sumner is no gentleman. Brooks thinks it over for a couple of days and decides on another option. According to Southern code, pistols and swords are reserved for fights among equals. To go after someone you consider inferior, use a whip or a cane. So Two days after Sumner's speech, Brooks enters the Senate chamber. He's walking as usual with his golden headed gutta percha cane. Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner is working quietly at his desk.

[Steve Puglio]

His head is down and he's signing copies of the Crime Against Kansas speech. He's franking them to send out to constituents. That's what he's doing, totally oblivious of this little activity that's going on around him.

[Sally Helm]

Brooks is ready to lay into Sumner, but there's a problem. A lady problem.

[Steve Puglio]

Preston Brooks finds out he needs to delay what he came to do because there's a lady in the chamber and she's talking to the sergeant at arms. And Brooks says later, I could not do what I came to do. It would be totally unchivalrous to do that with her present.

[Sally Helm]

Finally, the lady leaves. It's time. Brooks limps up to Sumner's desk and says his name twice. Sumner looks up. Who is this guy? He would have had no idea. Both because he doesn't know Representative Brooks and also because he's too vain to wear glasses. So all Sumner would have seen is a blurry figure standing over him.

[Steve Puglio]

Brooks says, I have read over your speech twice. It is a libel against my state and my relative. And slam brings the cane down on the top of Summer's head. Sumner's head explodes in blood. And at that point, Preston Brooks really loses it. The bloodlust, I think, really takes over. And he begins to beat Sumner again and again and again. Sumner does his best to try to get away. Can't. He's literally stuck under his desk. And finally wrenches the desk from its manacles, begins to topple over. Brooks doesn't really let him topple fully. Grabs him by the lapel and beats him over and over again until his cane shatters.

[Sally Helm]

The onlookers are horrified. They try to intervene, but a Brooks ally in the chamber waves a gun at them, shouting, let them alone. God damn. Let them alone.

[Steve Puglio]

Later, Brooks said, I hit him with 30 first rate stripes. Every one of them went entirely where I intended. And at the end, he was bellowing like a calf. Sumner is really lying in a pool of his own blood. And at that point, one of Brooks's colleagues kind of pulls Brooks away, while Brooks is literally only holding the knob end of his cane and says, you do not want to kill him. Let's go. And they walk out of the chamber together.

[Sally Helm]

The whole attack lasts about a minute. Sumner's allies help him into another room. A doctor rushes to see him. The head wounds are so deep that you can see Sumner's skull. The doctor stitches him up. Back on the Senate floor, Brooks allies are picking through the blood for fragments of the shattered cane. They can tell this event is going to go down in history. People will want a literal piece of it. And meanwhile, Sumner's chair stands empty. It'll be empty for a long time to come. Summer's here, and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dress season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways in your everyday wardrobe. Discover stylish options under $100 from tons of your favorite brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy, too, with free shipping and free returns in store. Order, pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] or download the Nordstrom app. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. Not everyone is careful with your personal information, which might explain why there's a victim of identity theft. And every five seconds in the U.S. fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity. If your identity is stolen, a US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year by visiting lifelock.com podcast Terms apply, ladies. You'll end up shopping for your guy's deodorant. Right, so try Degree's original Cool Rush. You see, last year, Degree changed the formula and men were mad. One guy even started a petition. So Degree admitted they messed up and brought the original Cool Rush scent back. It's clean, crisp, and actually smells like someone you wanna cuddle. And it's in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So toss one in your cart and find out why it's the best selling men's antiperspirant for the last decade. Degree Cool Rush is back, and it smells like victory. At first, Charles Sumner seems to be on the mend. But within a week, he starts suffering from terrible headaches. He develops a 104 degree fever. Weeks of misery follow. The guy who gives five hour speeches is now spending 22 hours a day in bed, unable to think clearly. Three months after the attack, a visitor remarks his gait at first glance appears that of a man 90 years of age.

[Steve Puglio]

Charles Sumner is seriously injured as a result of the canine. You know, he has concussion, he has brain trauma, he has spinal injuries, he has back injuries, and I think he has what we would call today a version of ptsd.

[Sally Helm]

He falls into a deep depression, facing the prospect of permanent brain injury. He writes, death would have been my best friend. Compounding his mental anguish with Sumner can't work. It must have been unbearable for him to watch events unfold from afar, to watch his attacker get off with a slap on the wrist, a $300 fine which his constituents gladly pay, and to hear that the House of Representatives can't muster the 2/3 majority needed to oust Brooks for his behavior, and worst of all, to learn that the caning has instead turned a backbench legislator into a single southern superstar.

[Steve Puglio]

Preston Brooks is as big a Southern hero as John C. Calhoun was before him and as Robert E. Lee was after. He was feeded at parties and at huge rallies in Colombia and in other places in the South. He was given gifts of canes, some of them inscribed hit him again.

[Sally Helm]

Pieces from the cane used in the attack are turned into rings that Brooks supporters wear on chains around their necks. Brooks writes to his brother, the fragments of the stick are begged for as sacred relics. And then, like a bolt from the blue, Brooks dies an agonizing death from an acute inflammation of the throat. Essentially, he suffocates. He's just 37 years old. When Sumner hears the news eight months after the caning, his response is genuine sadness. He reportedly doesn't gloat or make any remarks about divine payback takes the high road. Until just a few months ago, Preston Brooks had been a relative unknown. Now he's treated as a fallen hero.

[Steve Puglio]

There is a huge funeral in Washington, D.C. and then, even more astoundingly, the town of Edgefield sends a delegation of men to bring Brooks's body back to Edgefield. And it's a pilgrimage. On the way back, at every community, every town, every city across the South, President Brooks is celebrated and honored.

[Sally Helm]

Northerners, predictably, had been horrified by the caning. Even moderates. A senator beaten almost to death on the chamber floor. And for many, when they see this elaborate funeral for his attacker, any thoughts of reconciliation disappear.

[Steve Puglio]

What his funeral said to the north is man. Maybe we could have attributed this to just one hot headed Southerner. But this kind of response, this kind of reaction means maybe, maybe this ability to reconcile, maybe it's too late to do that.

[Sally Helm]

If we can't even agree that this brutal, bloody attack is bad, how can we go on as a country? Northern voters go looking for a political party that reflects their outrage and their growing resistance to compromise. They find one in a new the Republicans. Founded by anti slavery activists just two years earlier, the Republican Party uses opposition to the caning as a recruiting tool. They Seize on Sumner's vacant chair as a symbol of everything that's wrong with slavery and the South. And as for Sumner, the man.

[Steve Puglio]

Sumner is trying to get back to work in the summer of 1856. And he's getting letters from his supporters who basically say, you know what? Take your time. Make sure you are well. Do not rush back. And as one person said the quiet part out loud. Right, because your vacant chair speaks more effectively than even you can.

[Sally Helm]

Yeah. Even after all that the country has been through, after bleeding Kansas and a pool of blood on the Senate floor, Charles Sumner is still too radical for the political mainstream. Republican Party leaders are afraid that he'll scare away moderates with his abolitionist talk. The party is still stopping well short of that. Sumner is re elected and tries to go back to work. But the closer he gets to Washington D.C. the worse his headaches seem to become. He's desperate for relief. During a trip to Europe, a French surgeon puts an open flame to his back. A treatment meant to relieve pressure. But you may not be surprised to hear it causes blisters and sores that make it hard for Sumner to lie down. And yet he repeats this treatment five times. Northern papers print updates on Sumner's suffering. Southern papers say he's faking it. They point to his busy schedule of receptions, lectures, concerts. Nobody can agree on what's true. Sumner's chair sits empty for three and a half years. In that time, two new free states joined the Union, permanently disrupting the balance of slave and free. And during a failed Senate campaign, an eloquent Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln rises to national fame. When Sumner finally returns to the Senate In December of 1859, everybody's wondering whether he'll be the same firebrand he once was, or maybe he'll be too scared and weak to bang the drum of abolition. Sumner wastes little time in clarifying.

[Steve Puglio]

He finally gets another chance to speak, demands another chance to speak, and delivers. Yes, another fire breathing speech called the Barbarism of Slavery.

[Sally Helm]

Charles Sumner is back and the people.

[Steve Puglio]

Respond to him in a huge way. He gets hundreds of letters congratulating him on the speech. And as a matter of fact, the people lead the way. Because By August of 1860, every single Republican wants to campaign with Sumner. Even Lincoln sees that. Really? Sumner's view has become the prevailing view among Republicans.

[Sally Helm]

Lincoln wins the election of 1860 without carrying a single slave state before the end of the year. Preston Brooks's home state of South Carolina becomes the first to secede in April 1861. The opening shots of the Civil War are fired. Lincoln vows to preserve the Union. For Charles Sumner, that's not enough.

[Steve Puglio]

It's Charles Sumner who, at the very outset of the Civil War, wants the war to be about more than preserving the Union. He wants it to be about the eradication of slavery. And Abraham Lincoln takes much longer to get there. And in large part, it's Sumner that gets him there.

[Sally Helm]

Charles Sumner was never that great at passing legislation. His power was in being single minded, relentless and fearless about the most important moral issue of his time. He's like this little fly of conscience buzzing in Lincoln's ear.

[Steve Puglio]

Believe me, Lincoln at times says, please go away. I know what you believe. I get out of my ear. Quit chirping.

[Sally Helm]

On January 1, 1863, Lincoln found finally issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It doesn't apply to all slaves in America, just those in the Confederacy. Slaves in the northern border states are not freed, but it's the beginning of the end of slavery in America. Lincoln leads the Union through four years of bloody war to victory on April 9, 1865. Later that week, Sumner is enjoying a glass of wine with Senate colleagues when a servant bursts in with the news. Lincoln has been shot. Sumner rushes to the President's bedside. Lincoln is lying across a thin mattress, his eyes half open, his thick hair stained with blood. Sumner bows his head over Lincoln's body and sobs. Sumner serves in the Senate until his own death in 1874. He spends his final years fighting for a civil rights bill that will guarantee all citizens, regardless of color, access to accommodations, theaters, public schools, churches and cemeteries. As he's dying of heart failure, he pleads, with Frederick Douglass and others present. Don't let the civil rights bill fail. They're among his last words. A version of the bill passes the following year, but in 1883, the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional. It'll be more than 80 years before a similar bill passes the US Congress again. Foreign thanks for listening to History this week, a Back Pocket Studios production in partnership with the History Channel. To stay updated on all things history this week, sign [e-mail] and if you have any thoughts or questions, send us an [e-mail] Special thanks to our guests, Steve Puglio, author of the Great Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union. We also referred to the books Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War by David Donald and the Caning of Charles Sumner by William James Hull Hoffer. This episode was produced and sound designed by Ben Dickstein. It was also produced by John Earle and by me, Sally Helm for Back Pocket Studios. Our executive producer is Ben Dickstein from the History Channel. Our executive producers are Eli Lehrer and Liv Fiddler. Don't forget to follow rate and review History this week, wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll see you next week.