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Editorial: Mr. Sumner’s Speech (6/6/1860)
New York Times archives – Times Machine ^ | 6/6/1860

Posted on 06/06/2020 6:10:59 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson

Kansas is certainly entitled to universal sympathy. She is the child of misfortune, and it is sometimes hard to say whether she suffers most at the hands of her friends or her foes. She has been struggling for a recognized existence now for four or five years. Her people have at last conquered a peace. They have defeated the worst designs of her enemies, -- have succeeded in throwing off the heavy yoke which the slave-holding interest, aided by the Federal Government, struggled long and laboriously to fasten upon them, and have applied, with a Constitution of their own making, for admission to the Federal Union. The House of Representatives, with commendable alacrity, has granted the application; and the appeal now, -- at the very heel of the session, -- awaits the action of the Senate. Every consideration of expediency, as well as of justice, favors the admission. The Democratic majority has much to lose, and nothing of substantial value to gain, by refusing it, -- and it was becoming a matter of some curiosity to know in what direction they could find motives for rejecting so just an application.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: civilwar
Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

1 posted on 06/06/2020 6:10:59 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
1

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2

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2 posted on 06/06/2020 6:12:45 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation gets the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: chajin; henkster; CougarGA7; BroJoeK; central_va; Larry Lucido; wagglebee; Colonel_Flagg; Amagi; ...
Editorial: Mr. Sumner’s Speech – 2
The Mania for Poisoning – 3
The Revolver in Domestic Circles – 3
The Great Tornado – 3
Departure of the Pony Express – 3
3 posted on 06/06/2020 6:13:46 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation gets the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
For those of you who think partisanship is at an all-time low today, just look back to this time. This was AFTER Democrat Representative Preston Brooks beat the hell out of Republican Charles Sumner with a walking cane. Democrat Preston Brooks hit Sumner in a sneak attack, just the same way Antifa and BLM work today.
4 posted on 06/06/2020 6:30:22 AM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: MuttTheHoople
Like today's Antifa, Preston Brooks slunk away like a little BiT$h, when confronted face to face with a real man. From Wikipedia

Representative Anson Burlingame publicly humiliated Brooks by goading him into challenging Burlingame to a duel, only to set conditions designed to intimidate Brooks into backing down. (As the challenged party, Burlingame, who was a crack shot, had the choice of weapons and dueling ground. He selected rifles on the Canada side of Niagara Falls, where U.S. anti-dueling laws would not apply. Brooks withdrew his challenge, claiming that he did not want to expose himself to the risk of violence by traveling through Northern states to get to Niagara Falls.)[33]

Then, to top it off, Preston Brooks died a horrible death.

Preston Brooks died unexpectedly from a violent bout of croup on January 27, 1857 at age 37, a few weeks before the March 4 start of the new congressional term.[35] He was buried in Edgefield, South Carolina.[36] The official telegram announcing his death stated "He died a horrid death, and suffered intensely. He endeavored to tear his own throat open to get breath."[37] Despite terrible weather, thousands went to the Capitol to attend memorial services.[38] After his body was transported back to Edgefield, another large crowd took part in funeral ceremonies before he was buried.[39]

5 posted on 06/06/2020 6:38:19 AM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: MuttTheHoople
Sumner deserved his beating. Had he said such things about Andrew Jackson's relatives, Jackson would have killed him.

Loud mouth Massachusetts Puritan trouble maker needed his gob smacked hard enough to shut up his nasty bitch mouth.

Don't want to get your @$$ deservedly beat down? Don't talk sh*t about other people.

Sh*t talking gets @$$ beatings.

6 posted on 06/06/2020 12:43:07 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: DiogenesLamp
Yeah, he was making fun of Senator Andrew Butler's speaking (he had just had a stroke) and was accusing slaveowners of wanting to keep a harem of slave girls for sex.

I understand, but he was sneaked up on in a surprise attack. Then, Preston Brooks slunk away like a little sissy when Anson Burlingame baited him into a duel. Burlingame was a crack shot, and Brooks couldn't sneak up behind him the way he did Sumner.

7 posted on 06/06/2020 2:38:45 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: MuttTheHoople
Yeah, he was making fun of Senator Andrew Butler's speaking (he had just had a stroke) and was accusing slaveowners of wanting to keep a harem of slave girls for sex.

Friends of Charles Sumner tried to stop him. They exclaimed out loud that he was going to get himself killed. It wasn't just all slaveowners in general, it was specifically directed at the uncle or cousin or something, (I forget) of Butler.

It was very vulgar and nasty for that era, and it was indeed fighting words, but the man it was directed at was old and feeble and could do nothing about it.

I understand, but he was sneaked up on in a surprise attack.

My recollection is that Sumner was working at his desk, and Butler approached and told him he was going to beat him. It was a surprise attack insofar as Sumner didn't know it was coming until Butler announced it. Butler had a friend stand guard to make sure no one intervened.

Then, Preston Brooks slunk away like a little sissy when Anson Burlingame baited him into a duel. Burlingame was a crack shot, and Brooks couldn't sneak up behind him the way he did Sumner.

A man would have to be a fool to duel with someone who will easily kill him. Alexander Hamilton comes to mind. Butler didn't kill Sumner, but he did mess him up very badly, such that he never recovered from it.

Passion is fine, but making it personal was deadly in that era. Puritan Massachusetts always did have trouble controlling their passion.

8 posted on 06/06/2020 3:51:15 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: DiogenesLamp
Puritan Massachusetts always did have trouble controlling their passion.

So did the Scot-Irish South. Dueling was a pastime in the Old South. The most notorious was Alexander Keith McClung, a notorious duellist.

9 posted on 06/06/2020 4:48:15 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: DiogenesLamp; MuttTheHoople; x
Brooks attacks Sumner, May 22, 1856:

Brooks died eight months later from a sudden attack of "croup", aged 37.
Sumner tried to return to the Senate in 1857, but could not endure, so toured Europe until 1859, then returned feeling better.

Sumner was a radical Republican who ended up opposing moderates like President Grant.
Sumner died of a heart attack in 1874, aged 63.

No wonder DiogenesLamp hates Sumner!

10 posted on 06/07/2020 6:44:26 AM PDT by BroJoeK ((a little historical perspective...))
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To: MuttTheHoople
Scots and Irish are both irascible hot heads. Couple that with their feelings of being "Aristocracy", and it seems completely predictable that they would get into fights and duels.

But these were generally individual affairs. Massachusetts Puritans couldn't help but stir up trouble with entire populations of their neighbors. They are busybodies that cannot refrain from poking their noses into people's affairs outside of Massachusetts.

11 posted on 06/08/2020 10:18:52 AM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: BroJoeK
Sumner was over the top nasty and offensive. My general attitude is that I enjoy seeing people who are particularly nasty and offensive for no good reason to get their @$$ beat for being nasty and offensive.

I think Brooks went too far with the beating, but I do think Sumner asked for it. Even his own friends tried to stop him, but he just kept letting his mouth write checks his @$$ couldn't cover.

12 posted on 06/08/2020 10:21:24 AM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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