Charles Sumner: His Complete Works, Volume 03 (of 20)

This volume gathers Charles Sumner's most impassioned speeches and writings from the heights of the abolitionist struggle. As a United States Senator, Sumner wielded words like weapons against the institution of slavery, and this collection showcases his most formidable arsenal. The volume opens with hisclaration of unwavering commitment to emancipation, lamenting his absence from an Ohio celebration of the Ordinance of Freedom while insisting the national government must break free from slavery's grip. Also included is his stirring address to the Free-Soil Party convention, where he articulates the party's mission as inseparable from the foundational ideals of human rights. Sumner's oratory was legendary for its moral intensity, drawing deeply from historical precedent and invoking the Declaration of Independence as a living promise yet to be fulfilled. These are primary documents from the bloodstream of American reform: the arguments, appeals, and principled positions that shaped the political terrain before the Civil War. For anyone seeking to understand how abolitionists made their case in the halls of power, these speeches remain indispensable witnesses to a nation's moral awakening.