may 22, 1856 - Representative Preston Brooks viciously attacks Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in what becomes known as the Sumner-Brooks Affair. The attack comes three days after Sumner insults Senators Stephen Douglas and Andrew Butler in his “Crime Against Kansas” speech. The speech advocated for the admission of Kansas to the Union as a free state
Added to timeline:
Date:
may 22, 1856
Now
~ 170 years ago