Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 18 (of 20)

"Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 18 (of 20)" by Charles Sumner is a collection of political speeches and writings focusing on civil rights and social justice, written in the late 19th century. The volume primarily features Sumner's powerful oratory as a U.S. Senator addressing significant issues of his time, especially surrounding the post-Civil War Reconstruction era and the rights of African Americans. Sumner’s works advocate for equality and justice, emphasizing the need for a uniform national law to protect human rights against state-level injustices. The opening of this volume sets the scene for Sumner's speeches delivered in the Senate between 1870 and 1871. He discusses critical topics such as the admission of Mississippi into Congress, the first African American senator, and the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment. In his arguments, Sumner passionately conveys the importance of human rights over the outdated notions of state rights, arguing for civil equality and moral responsibility following the nation's recovery from the Civil War. By firmly asserting that equality is the foundation of the Republic, Sumner advocates for legislation that acknowledges and protects the rights of all citizens, thereby challenging the prevailing social and political norms of his era. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Sumner was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1851 until his death in 1874. Before and during the American Civil War, he was a leading American advocate for the abolition of slavery. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1861 to 1871, until he lost the position following a dispute with President Ulysses S. Grant over the attempted annexation of Santo Domingo. After breaking with Grant, he joined the Liberal Republican Party, spending his final two years in the Senate alienated from his party. Sumner had a controversial and divisive legacy for many years after his death, but in recent decades, his historical reputation has improved in recognition of his early support for racial equality.