One of the
most stunning and provocative events in American history, the caning of US
Senator Charles Sumner by US Representative Preston Brooks convinced the
North and the South that they could no longer rationally discuss the sharp
differences of opinion regarding slavery. The gulf between them was
unbridgeable, and the polar opposite reactions from both sides were also clear
omens about the nation's future. The attack
transformed the slavery question from a political and intellectual debate to a
visceral maelstrom that pushed the country inexorably toward civil war.
 |
| Charles Sumner (1811-1874)
|
 |
| Preston Brooks (1819-1857)
|
Review Published by ForeWord Reviews
Comments