Charles Sumner
Brandon Singleton and Nick Gutierrez
Life and Troubles of Charles Sumner
A Senator from Massachusetts, Sumner was an activist for freedmen ( freed slaves) rights after the end of the Civil War during the Reconstruction. While being associated with many parties, He gained much fame in the Republican party. Known as a Radical Republican during the civil war, Sumner was highly critical of Abraham Lincoln for not being harsher on the south. Also, during the civil war, Sumner was the Head of the Committee on Foreign Relations in the house of the senate. Most people, however, associate Sumner with the Brooks Sumner affair. After delivering a very intensely critical speech against slavery and insulting Senator Andrew Butler, Butler's cousin, Senator Preston Brooks, came over and beat him with his own cane and almost killed him. Sumner would later go on to die in office as the senator of Massachusetts.
Significance to American History
Charles Sumner's life and the things he was apart of have become very influential in American History. Through his position as the Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sumner was influential in keeping Britain and France from aiding the south. This proved to be pivotal in the war, as the South had made the large assumption that foreign aide would help them take out the North. Also, the Brooks Sumner Affair was one of the major events that helped spark tensions between the North and The South to go against each other. Overall, Sumner was very influential in starting and ending the Civil War