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Today in History: Preston Brooks assaults Senator Sumner over speech

5/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On May 22 1856, pro-slavery Representative Preston Brooks stormed the Senate chamber and beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane, avenging Sumner’s fiery anti-slavery speech. The assault left Sumner incapacitated until December 1859; his vacant desk stood as a stark reminder of the violence that inflamed the nation’s sectional conflict.

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Story summary

On May 22 1856, pro-slavery Representative Preston Brooks stormed the Senate chamber and beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane, avenging Sumner’s fiery anti-slavery speech. The assault left Sumner incapacitated until December 1859; his vacant desk stood as a stark reminder of the violence that inflamed the nation’s sectional conflict.