Charles Sumner
Born January 6, 1811
Boston, Massachusetts
Died March 11, 1874
Washington, D.C.
U.S. senator
"This is one of the last great battles with slavery. Driven from the legislative chambers [and] the field of war, this monstrous power has found a refuge in the executive mansion, where, in utter disregard of the Constitution and laws, it seeks to exercise its ancient, far-reaching sway.… Andrew Johnson is the impersonation of the tyrannical slave power. In him it lives again."
Charles Sumner led the causes of abolition (ending slavery) and civil rights for over two decades in the U.S. Senate. Uncompromising and often intolerant of opinions different than his own—Sumner once stated, "Nothing against slavery can be unconstitutional!"—he pursued immediate and absolute human equality. During the Reconstruction era (1865-77), Sumner was the Senate leader of the Radical Reconstructionists. These congressmen advocated an aggressive policy for securing the social and economic equality for freedmen (former slaves) and sought to set the terms by which Confederate states and their supporters would return to the Union. Radical Reconstructionists ensured that Congress, not the president, would lead the Reconstruction program, and when they were challenged by President Andrew Johnson (1808–1875; served 1865–69; see entry), the Radical Reconstructionists impeached the president and tried to remove him from office.
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