Political
1868 Impeachment Trial of President Andrew Johnson Rare Orator Senator Charles Sumner's Printed Opinion
(PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON'S IMPEACHMENT). "Opinion of Hon. Charles Sumner, of Massachusetts, in the Case of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States."
1868-Dated, Charles Sumner (1811-1874) on the Impeachment Proceedings against President Andrew Johnson in this historic Imprint: "Opinion of Hon. Charles Sumner, of Massachusetts, in the Case of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States" (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1868), 37 pages, measuring 10" x 8", bound with string in titled wraps, Very Fine. Very light dampstain at lower right on front wrap, interior is nice. Charles Sumner opens his speech with, in part:
"I voted against the rule of the Senate allowing Opinions to be filed in this proceeding, and regretted its adoption. With some hesitation, I now take advantage of the opportunity, if the not the invitation, which it affords. Voting 'guilty' on all the articles, I feel that there is no need of explanation or apology. Such a vote is its own best defender. But I follow the example of others...".
Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811 " March 11, 1874) was an American politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the U.S. Senate during the American Civil War.
During Reconstruction, he fought to minimize the power of the ex-Confederates and guarantee equal rights to the freedmen. He fell into a dispute with fellow Republican President Ulysses Grant on the question of taking control of Santo Domingo. Grant's allies stripped Sumner of his power in the Senate in 1871, and he joined the Liberal Republican movement in an effort to defeat Grant's reelection in 1872.