Inspirational Quotes by Charles Sumner (American Statesman)

Charles Sumner (1811–74) was an American statesman during the years of the American Civil War. He dedicated himself passionately to the abolitionist cause and played a crucial role in advancing civil rights in the mid-19th century.

Born in Boston, Sumner completed his education at Harvard Law School and was admitted to the Bar in 1834. Seeking further knowledge in jurisprudence, he spent several years in Europe 1837–40. Initially, he had little interest in politics, but the pressing issue of extending slavery into newly acquired territories changed that. In 1848, he joined forces to establish the Free Soil Party, though he faced defeat against the Whig candidate in his congressional run. However, in 1851, Sumner secured a seat in the US Senate with the combined support of Free Soil and Democratic votes from the Massachusetts legislature, a position he held for the rest of his life.

As the sole outspoken opponent of slavery in the Senate, Sumner faced a violent incident in 1856 when Preston S. Brooks, a member of Congress from South Carolina, brutally attacked him in the Senate chamber. The assault left Sumner incapacitated for nearly four years. Following the secession of the southern states, the Republican Party gained full control of both houses of Congress. In 1861, Sumner was elected chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and staunchly supported President Abraham Lincoln and the Union cause throughout the American Civil War.

Sumner aligned himself with the Reconstruction policies advocated by the Radical Republicans. He endorsed the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and opposed President Ulysses S. Grant’s plan to acquire San Domingo. His criticisms of Grant’s administration caused a rift with prominent Republican politicians, further exacerbated by his support for Horace Greeley as a presidential candidate in 1872.

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