alternatehistory.com

This idea came to me after reading an article about the road to the American Civil War…

On May 20, 1856, Senator Charles Sumner gave a fiery speech (Crime against Kansas) denouncing the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and attacking the authors of the act, Senators Stephen Douglas and Andrew Butler. Sumner also mocked Butler's speaking ability, which had been affected by a recent stroke.

Sumner's speech caused an uproar among both the pro- and anti-slavery factions of congress, as this was not the first time Sumner had stepped over the line of what was acceptable.

Two days later, on May 22, Representative Preston Brooks, Butler's cousin, furious at Sumner's insults and wanting satisfaction, entered the Senate chamber where Sumner was working at his desk and proceeded to beat him over the head with a gold-headed gutta-percha cane more than thirty times.

This act polarized the nation, turning Brooks into a hero in the South and Sumner into a martyr in the North. Brooks resigned from the HoR but was later returned after a special election, while Sumner ended up suffered chronic head pain and PTSD from the head trauma.

Now, suppose things turned out worse, and in his frenzied rage Brooks killed Sumner in the caning. What happens next?

Certainly there would have been a criminal trial, but just how badly would this have inflamed the division between the North & South?
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