The caning of charles sumner or the brooks sumner affair occurred on may 22 1856 in the united states senate when representative preston brooks a pro slavery democrat from south carolina used a walking cane to attack senator charles sumner an abolitionist republican from massachusetts in retaliation for a speech given by sumner two days earlier in which he fiercely criticized.
Man beaten on senate floor slavery.
Preston brooks beat a senator nearly to death on the floor of the u s.
Charles sumner r mass a fierce foe of slavery suffered major injuries when he was assaulted on the senate floor by rep.
And in kansas news of the savage beating on the senate floor arrived by telegraph and inflamed passions even more.
Several users countered this assertion by pointing to an 1856 incident in which the pro slavery u s.
Charles sumner was sitting at his desk in the u s.
On the afternoon of may 22 1856 massachusetts sen.
The speech sumner had given of course had been about kansas.
On this day in 1856 sen.