Why Does Sumner Link Slavery And The Southern Way

Questions1 Why Does Sumner Link Slavery And The Southern Way Of Lif

Questions: 1. Why does Sumner link slavery and the southern way of life to South Carolina's Senator Pierce Butler? 2. Why does Sumner appeal to Kansas residents to vote? 3. Does Sumner envision a resolution to the growing sectional division within the country? 4. Why does Sumner use the imagery of sexual exploitation in his speech? What does this say about contemporary views of race? sex? The Crime Against Kansas: The Apologies for the Crime; The True Remedy Delivered to the United States Senate, 19-20 May 1856 by Hon. Charles Sumner [Excerpts] MR. PRESIDENT, -- You are now called to redress a great wrong. Seldom in the history of nations is such a question presented. Tariffs, army bills, navy bills, land bills, are important, and justly occupy your care; but these all belong to the course of ordinary legislation. As means and instruments only, they are necessarily subordinate to the conservation of Government itself.

Grant them or deny them, in greater or less degree, and you inflict no shock. The machinery of Government continues to move. Far otherwise is it with the eminent question now before you, involving the peace of the whole country, with our good name in history forevermore. Take down your map, Sir, and you will find that the Territory of Kansas, more than any other region, occupies the middle spot of North America, equally distant from the Atlantic on the east and the Pacific on the west, from the frozen waters of Hudson's Bay on the north and the tepid Gulf Stream on the south, -- constituting the precise geographical centre of the whole vast Continent.

To such advantages of situation, on the very highway between two oceans, are added a soil of unsurpassed richness, and a fascinating, undulating beauty of surface, with a health-giving climate, calculated to nurture a powerful and generous people, worthy to be a central pivot of American institutions. A few short months have hardly passed since this spacious mediterranean country was open only to the savage, who ran wild in its woods and prairies; and now it has drawn to its bosom a population of freemen larger than Athens crowded within her historic gates.... Against this Territory, thus fortunate in position and population, a Crime has been committed which is without example in the records of the Past.

Not in plundered provinces or in the cruelties of selfish governors will you find its parallel.... The wickedness which I now begin to expose is immeasurably aggravated by the motive which prompted it. Not in any common lust for power did this uncommon tragedy have its origin. It is the rape of a virgin Territory, compelling it to the hateful embrace of Slavery; and it may be clearly traced to a depraved desire for a new Slave State, hideous offspring of such a crime, in the hope of adding to the power of Slavery in the National Government. Yes, Sir, when the whole world, alike Christian and Turk, is rising up to condemn this wrong, making it a hissing to the nations, here in our Republic, force -- ay, Sir, FORCE -- is openly employed in compelling Kansas to this pollution, and all for the sake of political power.

There is the simple fact, which you will vainly attempt to deny, but which in itself presents an essential wickedness that makes other public crimes seem like public virtues. This enormity, vast beyond comparison, swells to dimensions of crime which the imagination toils in vain to grasp, when it is understood that for this purpose are hazarded the horrors of intestine feud, not only in this distant Territory, but everywhere throughout the country. The muster has begun. The strife is no longer local, but national. Even now, while I speak, portents lower in the horizon, threatening to darken the land, which already palpitates with the mutterings of civil war....

Paper For Above instruction

Charles Sumner’s speech “The Crime Against Kansas” delivered in 1856 provides a scathing critique of the expansion of slavery and the political machinations underpinning its proliferation in the United States. Central to Sumner’s argument is his assertion that slavery and the Southern way of life are inextricably linked, particularly through the figure of South Carolina Senator Pierce Butler. Sumner condemns the pro-slavery movement, emphasizing that the attempt to turn Kansas into a slave state represents a moral and political crime, driven not merely by greed but by a depraved desire for political dominance.

Sumner links slavery to the Southern way of life by portraying it as a moral corruption that taints their identity and political aspirations. Specifically, he accuses Senator Butler and his ilk of embodying a “harlot Slavery,” which they serve with unrestrained zeal. Sumner’s language portrays slavery as a moral abomination, and he accuses southern senators of engaging in a “rape of a virgin territory,” metaphorically linking the forcible extension of slavery into Kansas with sexual violence. Through this imagery, Sumner underscores the brutal and unjust nature of slavery’s expansion, revealing the moral outrage he perceives that drives abolitionist sentiments.

Furthermore, Sumner appeals to Kansas residents to exercise their right to vote as a means of asserting their independence from the corrupt influence of the “Slave Power.” He emphasizes that the territorial voters have the power to restore justice and protect their rights from being usurped by the pro-slavery faction. Sumner suggests that the fight in Kansas is emblematic of a larger moral battle—a fight to uphold the principles of liberty and justice against the forces of slavery represented by powerful southern interests.

Sumner does envision a resolution to the sectional divisions that threaten to tear the nation apart. His rhetoric advocates for a moral awakening among the American people and urges citizens to support free states and resist the encroachment of slavery. He calls upon the broader American populace—especially those in the North—to rally behind Kansas’s cause, thereby expanding the fight for liberty beyond Kansas into a national movement. Sumner’s appeal for voter action aligns with his broader vision of a united nation committed to principles of freedom and justice, free from sectional tyranny.

The use of sexual exploitation imagery in Sumner’s speech serves multiple rhetorical and moral purposes. First, it evokes a visceral emotional response, framing the extension of slavery as a violent and morally reprehensible act comparable to sexual assault. This vivid depiction aims to strip away any rationalization for the injustice and expose the brutality underlying slavery’s expansion. Second, the imagery reveals contemporary views of race and morality—where slavery is intertwined with notions of domination, ownership, and degradation of the African American population. It also reflects the dehumanizing attitudes prevalent at the time, with slavery depicted not merely as an economic system but as a fundamental violation of human dignity.

Sumner’s moral outrage is aimed at awakening the conscience of the American public, making the issue of slavery a moral imperative. His language underscores the urgent necessity of confronting and dismantling the pro-slavery movement, framing it as a moral crime akin to sexual violence against a defenseless victim—Kansas itself. By emphasizing the moral depravity, Sumner aligns his abolitionist stance with notions of universal justice and human rights, calling for active resistance.

In conclusion, Sumner’s speech reflects a profound moral indictment of slavery’s expansion into Kansas, linking it to the broader Southern way of life through vivid imagery and passionate rhetoric. His appeal to voters emphasizes the importance of moral integrity and active resistance to sectional tyranny. Ultimately, Sumner envisions a nation united in the fight for moral and political justice, brought about by awakening public conscience and exercising the right to vote—both in Kansas and across the country.

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