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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Today in History: "The Crime Against Kansas" |
| 2007-05-22 |
| David Kopel, The Volokh Conspiracy The Crime Against Kansas: On this day in history, May 22, 1856, United States Representative Preston Brooks criminally attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the Senate, beating Sumner on the head with a heavy cane until the cane broke, and incapacitating Sumner for four years. One hopes that this doesn't give Harry Ried or Markos any ideas. South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks was the nephew of South Carolina Senator A.P. Butler, who had been sharply criticized by Massachusetts' Sumner in a May 19-20 speech, "The Crime Agains Kansas." Sumner had declared that while Brooks "believes himself a chivalrous knight, with sentiments of honor and courage," he "has chosen a mistress" who is "the harlot slavery." Among the elements of the crime against Kansas was that guns belonging to the free-soil settlers had been confiscated by the pro-slavery territorial government. . . . There is no known evidence of any pro-slavery Democrats, or anyone else, defending the Sack of Lawrence or other arms confiscations on the grounds that the Second Amendment did not guarantee the right of individual citizens of Kansas to possess personal firearms for non-militia purposes. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #3 If there were more beatings in Congress for sheer assholeness, we might have less Schumers, Pelosis, Obeys, Spectors, Murthas..... would we be worse off? I don't think so |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-05-22 22:49 |
| #2 That's basically what happened to the Mormons in Missouri in the mid-1830's. The Govornor had the State Militia confiscate all the Mormons' weapons to, "reduce the possibility of violence" and promised that the State Militia would protect them. He was defeated in the next election and the new Govorner declared war on the Mormons. NEVER give up your weapons on promises of Government protection. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-05-22 21:26 |
| #1 What an amazing coincidence! I just wrote a post about the Texas Troubles and mentioned the Brooks and Sumner brawl! Here: The Long Hot Summer of 1860 |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-05-22 21:20 |