AHC: USA: Beat a slave to death in front of a Foreign Ambassador

Alt History Challenge: Have a US Slave Owner, preferably someone of high rank in US Government (President, Senator, Governor) beat a slave to death in front of an Ambassador of a Foreign Country. Best would be a US President in the 1840s or 1850s in front of the British or French Ambassador...
 
You know how your parents would always wait till company leaves to beat your ass, it's kind of the same thing. You'd need someone very violent, very impulsive and not to mention stupid to do this sort of thing. But if someone did do such a thing, it would look bad, not for the country I'd think but certainly for the president. Slaves cost money, most people wouldn't dream of killing a slave deliberately, for a politician to beat a slave to death would be like someone wrecking their car cause they were mad that day. It doesn't look good, and you come out on the other side with blood on your hands with everyone thinking you're a bit off.
 
Alt History Challenge: Have a US Slave Owner, preferably someone of high rank in US Government (President, Senator, Governor) beat a slave to death in front of an Ambassador of a Foreign Country. Best would be a US President in the 1840s or 1850s in front of the British or French Ambassador...

No president in the entire history of the republic with the arguable exception of Andrew Jackson is sufficiently unhinged and volatile enough to do such a stupid thing. And I say arguable in the case of Andrew Jackson because, despite his well-deserved reputation for personal violence, there's actually no evidence he ever actually physically abused a slave himself (although he certainly ordered slaves to be whipped on occasion as did Washington and no doubt others). In fact, when one of his overseers did beat a slave to death, Jackson tried to have the man prosecuted for murder.
 
Would this have been legal? I have this vague idea that beating a slave to death would have been criminal in some places, if you had white witnesses who could testify that it happened. So the ambassador may actually be a witness.

I doubt Preston Brooks would do it. It wouldn't be in character for him, or for a slave. His crazy violent attack on Sumner is the kind of thing people do when they feel powerless, especially when they aren't used to it--in his case, he felt powerless to defend his family against what he perceived as a grave insult, because Sumner would have refused to duel. If a slave insulted his family, he wouldn't feel it as much as an insult, because as a Southern racist of the plantation class he wouldn't take what a slave said seriously, and it wouldn't be nearly as public as Sumner's speech; plus he wouldn't feel powerless, he'd just order the slave whipped. And a slave is very unlikely to insult him either, because they weren't stupid.

So I think it needs to be a drunkard, and maybe someone who had just experienced a severe blow and who was already a mess emotionally anyway. Certainly possible, though its harder to see why the Ambassador would associate with such a person.
 
Suh, a True Southron gentleman would never loose his composure in such a demeaning manner. Especially in front of a foreign dignitary. The troublesome negro can be chastised later. Should your persist in this inquiry, I will be forced to defend the honor of the South. You do have a second standing by, I presume?
 
Would this have been legal? I have this vague idea that beating a slave to death would have been criminal in some places, if you had white witnesses who could testify that it happened. So the ambassador may actually be a witness.

I doubt Preston Brooks would do it. It wouldn't be in character for him, or for a slave. His crazy violent attack on Sumner is the kind of thing people do when they feel powerless, especially when they aren't used to it--in his case, he felt powerless to defend his family against what he perceived as a grave insult, because Sumner would have refused to duel. If a slave insulted his family, he wouldn't feel it as much as an insult, because as a Southern racist of the plantation class he wouldn't take what a slave said seriously, and it wouldn't be nearly as public as Sumner's speech; plus he wouldn't feel powerless, he'd just order the slave whipped. And a slave is very unlikely to insult him either, because they weren't stupid.

So I think it needs to be a drunkard, and maybe someone who had just experienced a severe blow and who was already a mess emotionally anyway. Certainly possible, though its harder to see why the Ambassador would associate with such a person.

Most states nominally considered the intentional killing of slaves to be murder, but prosecution for such, while not outright unknown, were exceedingly rare. Some states (like Virginia) immunized slave-owners against punishment for ''accidentally'' killing a slave while said slave was being punished for some infraction.


As for an Ambassador being a witness in a legal proceeding, it's not going to happen. He's immune to being summoned to court (that whole diplomatic immunity thing) against his will, and his government would be extremely unlikely to allow him to waive his immunity. I daresay that individual will probably be recalled and reassigned as soon as possible to try to escape the political firestorm an incident of this nature.
 
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