Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 07 (of 20)

This volume gathers a series of Charles Sumner’s most urgent letters and public addresses from the turbulent months of 1860‑1861. Readers will hear his impassioned denunciations of slavery’s barbarism, his arguments that the institution cannot be reconciled with the Constitution, and his calls to render the Fugitive Slave Act a dead letter. The collection also captures his spirited speeches to crowds in Massachusetts, New York, and beyond, as the nation teetered on the brink of conflict.

Beyond the moral crusade, the texts reveal Sumner’s strategic thinking about the looming war, his advocacy for emancipation as a military tool, and his pleas for foreign arbitration on contentious border issues. Interwoven are his reflections on the recent presidential election, tributes to fellow abolitionists, and early legislative efforts to shape Union policy. Listeners gain a vivid sense of the urgency and conviction that drove one of the era’s most formidable voices for freedom.