Violent Events in America in the 1850s

The decade of the 1850s in the United States of America was one of the most violent and brutal decades that Americans had seen at the time. Many events led to increased sectionalism and animosity across the nation. These events were violent and occurred because as abolitionists and proslavery defenders grew further apart, they both believed they were correct. Both sides believed that they had ultimate power to make the decisions surrounding the issue. People resulted to violence because of their intense passion for their beliefs and their anger against the opposing side. Events such as the attack on Charles Sumner by Preston Brooks, “Bleeding Kansas,” and John Brown’s raid of Harper’s Ferry are examples of the widespread violence caused by the passion, sectionalism, and indignation of the American people.

On May 22nd, 1856, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner was brutally beaten by Preston Brooks, a congressman from South Carolina. Two days prior, Sumner had given a speech in Washington, DC known as “The Crime Against Kansas,” highlighting the horror of the pro-slavery events that occurred in Kansas. He specifically mentioned two men as perpetrators of the crimes. One of these men was Senator Pierce Butler. Brooks was Butler’s cousin, so Sumner’s defamation of Butler didn’t sit particularly well with him. In his speech, Sumner referred to the events in Kansas as, “the rape of a virgin territory, compelling it to the hateful embrace of slavery;” and claimed that, “it may be clearly traced to a depraved longing for a new slave state.” Sumner was openly anti-slavery and was repulsed by the actions of pro-slavery Americans. Butler, however, stood on the opposite side. When speaking about Butler’s actions, he said that had “a mistress… who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in is sight.” The “mistress” he was referring to was slavery. He used a metaphor to make a comparison between Butler’s actions and prostitution, labeling Butler as the man who controls the “girls.” Brooks took offense to these statements in defense of his nation and his relative and decided to lash out. One day, Brooks walked into the Senate chamber and repeatedly beat Sumner with a cane, leaving him unconscious. It took Sumner a few years to recover from the incident and it left the country in a heightened, extremely divided state.

The attack on Sumner in May 1856 increased animosity and the divide between the North and South because it brought violence over slavery into Congress and was very controversial in the eyes of Americans. The North and anti-slavery believers felt that the attack was inhuman and disrespectful to both Sumner himself and the entire country. Pro-slavery believers and southerners praised and admired Brooks for defending his family and the South. In his book, Embattled Courage, Gerald F. Linderman wrote, “The pre-war period, moreover, had been a time of expansive individualism, and duty was one of those categories in which individual definitions varied—and prevailed.” Preston Brooks and most Southerners believed that they had a duty to serve and defend the interests of their people, just as Charles Sumner and most Northerners believed for themselves. People in the South argued that Brooks was doing right by doing his “duty” to his family and the southern region. People were overtly strong in their beliefs despite what other people believed, and it led to widespread violence, beginning with the attack on Charles Sumner. The debate over slavery became much more violent after the attack and it led to a spiral of similarly brutal events over the course of the decade.

One major event in the 1850s was known as “Bleeding Kansas.” It was a period between 1854 and 1859 where Kansas was engulfed by violence. These outbursts occurred in response to Stephen Douglas’ “Kansas-Nebraska Act” that established Kansas and Nebraska as territories. The goal was for one to become a slave state and the other to become a free state. However, under this act, the territories had popular sovereignty, meaning that the residents of each area decided its stance on slavery. Supporters of slavery from Missouri stormed the border of the Kansas territory on its first election day, threatening beatings and various violent attacks if they didn’t vote proslavery. Both proslavery and anti-slavery believers flocked to Kansas to try to persuade the residents their way. On May 21st, 1856, a proslavery group stormed the town of Lawrence and burned many major buildings, destroying the town. John Brown, an antislavery supporter, responded by leading a group of people to Pottawatomie Creek, a proslavery village, storming the homes, and killing five men. A document known as the Lecompton Constitution was later drafted by proslavery men stating that Kansas would become a slave state. President James Buchanan supported this document to forge peace in the area, but it only increased sectionalism and didn’t resolve the issue. By the time the conflict in Kansas had been resolved, more than 50 people had been killed.

“Bleeding Kansas” helped increase sectionalism and animosity in the United States because it gave more power to the people in politics to make decisions on the issue of slavery. The citizens chose whether Kansas and Nebraska would be free or not, and since everyone felt entitled to their own opinion, it led to massive outbursts of violence. Both groups of people believed that they had full power over the institution, and the events during “Bleeding Kansas” brought that power into question on both sides.

Four years after his attack at Pottawatomie Creek, John Brown orchestrated another violent happening against the South. On October 16th, 1859, he led a group of men, comprised of both blacks and whites, to a military arsenal located in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Harper’s Ferry was a significant location because it was a valued transportation hub between the North and South. In the end, they seized the arsenal and took hostages, but the federal government sent troops to counter him, killing many of his men, and leaving him deeply wounded. The troops were led by US Army Colonel Robert E. Lee. Brown was later tried for treason by the state of Virginia. He was found guilty and executed on December 2nd, 1859. When speaking about the execution, Abraham Lincoln said, “It could avail him nothing that he might think himself right.” Brown believed he was doing the right, courageous thing. In Ken Burns’ film, “The Civil War: The Cause,” he said, “Brown was an inept businessman who had failed twenty times in six states and defaulted on his debts. Yet, he believed himself God’s agent on Earth.” Brown believed that he was doing the will of God by acting against slavery, regardless of how his attempts were executed.

The attack on Charles Sumner, the events of “Bleeding Kansas,” and the raid of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia were some of the most impactful events in the 1850s in pushing the United States of America to a civil war. These events made the conflict more violent and increased hatred across the nation. Both advocates for and against slavery fought for power and felt that their opinions were the correct ones. People became violent over the issue because of the animosity towards the other side. South Carolina author Mary Chesnut wrote, “We are separated because of the incompatibility of temper. We are divorced north from south because we hated each other so.” The northern states and southern states despised each other over opinions regarding slavery, and it polarized the country. A plethora of violent events happened in the 1850s in America because tensions escalated every day and more power was being given to the citizens to decide the fate of slavery in their area. The North and South came to a head over a struggle for power and widespread disagreement and created one of the most aggressive decades that any American had seen.