N 1856, South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks nearly killed Sumner on the Senate floor for ridiculing slaveowners as pimps in his vitriolic denunciation of the "Crime against Kansas."
Preston Brooks did attack Senator Sumner with a cane, but it was primarily because of Sumner's derogatory comments about Brooks' relative, Senator Butler, and his support for slavery. Douglas was not directly involved in the incident.
The Sumner-Brook Affair was an incident that took place in the senate, where Charles Sumner delivered a very ugly speech insulting a very high esteemed Senator of South Carolina, Andrew Butler. Butler suffered from a physical defect that made him drool. Sumner made a connection of Butler's slobbering in connection with the Barbarity of slave owners. Later on Preston Brooks, Butler's cousin, snuck up behind Sumner and beat him with a cane till it broke. The South viewed Brooks as a hero and the North forgot Sumner's wrongdoings and praised him
Preston Brooks, of South Carolina. Its little understood today that there was a meaning to the method of Brook's assault. Brooks beat Sumner with a cane. If Brooks had considered Sumner to be a "gentleman", he would have challenged Sumner to a duel. By simply attacking and beating him he was saying that Sumner was not a gentleman, and did not deserve the respect one should accord a gentleman.
Charels Sumner.
Preston Brooks beat Sumner after Sumner made a speech in Senate about senators having sex with their slaves ( that's taboo) and called them out by name. Preston Brooks father-in-law was called out and Preston Brooks heard about it and walked from the House of Representatives and into the senate and beat Charles Sumner with his cane and sent him into a coma. No one helped Sumner. Brooks wasn't arrested. As a matter of fact supporters of Brooks sent him more canes to "keep up the good work".
Preston Brooks was the name of a Democratic Representative who served the state of South Carolina from 1853 until he died in 1857. He was an advocate of slavery and was well known for an incident in which he beat up Senator Charles Sumner using a cane in 1956.
1975
Charles Sumner.
The caning of Charles Sumner occurred right here in the United States Congress in 1856. Charles Sumner was beaten nearly to death with a cane by Preston Brooks. Preston Brooks was upset over an anti-slavery speech given by Charles Sumner a few days before.
See website: Charles Sumner
Sumner gave an antislavery speech in Congress. In this speech, Sumner insulted a Senator from South Carolina. Preston Brooks, a relative of the congressman, heard of this and went to Sumner and beat him with a cane until he passed out.
Senator Charles Sumner