it all began when charles sumner made a speech in the senate in which he attacked the results of 1854. there was violence in kansas and sumner knew this. he wanted to point out that there should be blame placed for the passage of the act on a few men in particular. he called out steven douglas of illinois, northern democrat. and he also called out andrew butler, of south carolina. butler, remember, was a member of the f-street mess. one of those powerful southern democrats who forced franklin pierce at that time to support the kansas/nebraska act. two years later, sumner makes this speech in which he says, and i quote, that steven douglas, with was, quote, a noisome squat and in his next breath he insulted senator butler. he said of butler that he was, as having taken, quote, a mistress who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him. though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaised in his sight. i mean the harlot slavery. so, charles sumner just issued two major insults against two u.s. senators, to men of the opposite party. now, what this scene actually took place shows us

carolina, feeling on her bound to punish charles sumner's insulting remarks, entered the over thend beat sumner and, the proper beating for inferior, until he was left lying in a pool of blood running across the senate floor. brooks was hailed throughout the south as an avenger. sumner was transfigured into a martyr. eight days after sumner was bludgeoned nearly to death, lincoln stood on the stage at bloomington illinois to found the illinois republican party. sumner'sransformed metaphor of the slave's power. he kept the number in his drumbeat repetition, but changed more than the objects. more than arms to keys and eyes to men. he shifted the point of view. he assumed the vision of the slave himself. slave, asked ishmael. he identified with the captive, who could not find the key to his freedom. lincoln discovered the keys to his own escape. that is what he understood the captivity and would become a new shortlyl man, he would, after creating the illinois republican party, stand before a crowd to issue his personal proclamation. to be aed to -- i used slave." [applause] thank you.

declared senator charles sumner of massachusetts. rising to deliver his speech, arraigning the slave power for the crime against kansas on may 19, 1856. the criminal also must be dragged in today that you may see and measure the power by which all this wrong is sustained. from no common source could it proceed in its perp trags was needed a spirit of vaulting ambition which would hesitate at nothing. a heartiness of purpose which was insenzable to the judgment of mankind, a madness for slavery which would disregard the constitution, the laws and all the great examples of our history. also a consciousness, a power such as comes from the habit of power. then charles sumner described this power with an image. a combination of energies found only in 100 arms directed by 100 eyes. and through these 100 arounds, he said, directed by 100 eyes, the power exercised a control of public opinion through veno pens and a prostituted press. an ability to subsidize crowds in every vocation of life. the politician with his local importance, the lawye

carolina, feeling on her bound to punish charles sumner's insulting remarks, entered the over thend beat sumner and, the proper beating for inferior, until he was left lying in a pool of blood running across the senate floor. brooks was hailed throughout the south as an avenger. sumner was transfigured into a martyr. eight days after sumner was bludgeoned nearly to death, lincoln stood on the stage at bloomington illinois to found the illinois republican party. sumner'sransformed metaphor of the slave's power. he kept the number in his drumbeat repetition, but changed more than the objects. more than arms to keys and eyes to men. he shifted the point of view. he assumed the vision of the slave himself. slave, asked ishmael. he identified with the captive, who could not find the key to his freedom. lincoln discovered the keys to his own escape. that is what he understood the captivity and would become a new shortlyl man, he would, after creating the illinois republican party, stand before a crowd to issue his personal proclamation. to be aed to -- i used slave." [applause] thank you.

get interesting that mary counted among her best friends in washington the abolitionist senator charles sumner, and there can be no doubt that mary lincoln cared deeply for the northern war effort. that thebelieved abolition of slavery was a positive result of the war, and would be the single most important legacy for her husband and her children. as well, mary lincoln suffered no confederates, of course, she didn't suffer most people, certainly didn't suffer fools, but even those who happened to be members of her own kentucky family. number nine. mary lincoln is the reason that abraham lincoln is buried in oak ridge cemetery in springfield. mary lincoln wanted her husband buried in a quiet, green spot, a peaceful, pastoral setting. she chose the newly established oak ridge cemetery in springfield, illinois. there were hard pressures to bear the president in washington. to mary's horror, a monument association springfield consisting of a contingent of old lincoln friends developed plans to build a two and monument in downtown spring field. mary was furious, and her son robert was also furious.

involving not only the charles sumner but including roughly 100 physical clashes in the house of senate including fist fights and the occasional brawl with dozens of congressmen rumbling in essence. usually in the house. i'm going to come back to that rather dramatic assertion in a moment. i will leave you hanging and give you a little bit of context. i'll start by saying, obviously part of what i'm implying here is today we're hardly experiencing the first most polarized moment. over the last two years, a number clearly wanted me to state for the record, things have never been worse. i can't say that. as a historians, i cannot say that. in many ways, 1850's were worse. intense partisanship dates band to the republic. first crisis of intense partisanship took place during the government's first decade in existence. the 1790's was a period of extreme partisanship culminating in the presidential election in 1800 a do or die. the crises had much in common with the present. there was rampant fear. of a foreign threat. federalist feared that the upset of revolution france would corrupt or de

should say also that frederick douglass was part of the bitter debate among the old abolitionists, charles sumner on one side and frederick douglass and a host of others on one side. frederick douglass became one of those former abolitionists in the 1860's and 1870's who came to believe, not without reason, that the united states is just experienced the abolition revolution. that emancipation had transformed the u.s. into a wholly new republic, and that they ought to export it. and a number of former abolitionists who had been the critics were now advocating that the u.s. take the new regimes, ideas, racial equality to the caribbean, south america. he became, not unlike others, kind of an american imperialism. eventually, he will be the u.s. minister to haiti. although that ran amok on him. but it is fascinating just how much many abolitionists came to see, not hard to understand, they believed they had experienced a genuine transformation of the meaning of the united states. >> i am always struck by the fact that african-americans have to have their citizenship insured by the amendment, when all

involving not only charles sumner, but including roughly 100 physical clashes in the house and senate, including fistfights, knives, revolvers, and the occasional brawl with dozens of congressmen rumbling in essence, usually in the house. i'm going to come back to that rather dramatic assertion in a moment, but for now i will leave you hanging and give you a little content. i will start by saying, obviously part of what i am implying is that today we are hardly experiencing the first polarized moment and political history. over the last few years, a number of press outlets have wanted me to say for the record, things have never been worse, and i cannot say that. as a historian i cannot say that. in many ways the 1860's was worse. indeed, intense partisanship dates back to the donning of the republic. one of the arguments about the nation's first partisanship took place in the first decade of the government's existence. particularly the late 1790's was a time of extreme partisanship culminating in the election of the 1800. the do or die battle that ultimately elected thomas jefferson a

involving not only the infamous caning of charles sumner but including roughly 100 physical clashes in the house and senate, including fist fights, knives and revolvers and the occasional brawl with dozens of congressmen rumbling, in essence, usually in the house. i'm going to come back to that rather dramatic assertion in a moment. for now, i'm going to leave you hanging and give you context. i will start by saying that obviously, part of what i'm implying here is that today we're hardly experiencing the first or most polarized moment in our political history. over the last few years, a number of press outlets have wanted me to state for the record things have never been worse. and i can't say that. as a historian, i cannot say that. in many ways the 1850s was worse. and indeed, intense partisanship dates back to the dawning of the republic. one might argue the first crisis of intense partisanship took place during the government's first decade in existence. the 1790s and the late 1790s was a period of extreme partisanship culminating in the election of 1800, a do or die battle betwee

get interesting that mary counted among her best friends in washington the abolitionist senator charles sumner, and there can be no doubt that mary lincoln cared deeply for the northern war effort. that thebelieved abolition of slavery was a positive result of the war, and would be the single most important legacy for her husband and her children. as well, mary lincoln suffered no confederates, of course, she didn't suffer most people, certainly didn't suffer fools, but even those who happened to be members of her own kentucky family. number nine. mary lincoln is the reason that abraham lincoln is buried in oak ridge cemetery in springfield. mary lincoln wanted her husband buried in a quiet, green spot, a peaceful, pastoral setting. she chose the newly established oak ridge cemetery in springfield, illinois. there were hard pressures to bear the president in washington. to mary's horror, a monument association springfield consisting of a contingent of old lincoln friends developed plans to build a two and monument in downtown spring field. mary was furious, and her son robert was also furious.