Charles Sumner House | |
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| Location | 20 Hancock Street, Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°21′36″N71°3′56″W / 42.36000°N 71.06556°W /42.36000; -71.06556 |
| Built | 1806 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Part of | Beacon Hill Historic District (ID66000130) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001953[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
| Designated CP | October 15, 1966 |
TheCharles Sumner House is a historic house onBeacon Hill inBoston, Massachusetts. The brick townhouse, built c. 1806, is notable as the home for many years ofCharles Sumner (1811–1874), an outspoken and aggressivepolitical opponent of slavery,whose beating on the floor of theUnited States Senate in 1856 was a defining moment of the pre-American Civil War period. The house was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1973. He lived in the house from 1830 until 1867.
The Sumner is a four-story townhouse, faced in brick, which was built c. 1806. The interior has a typical side hall plan, with a front parlor, behind which are a sitting room and kitchen. Its upper floors have similar arrangements of rooms. The house was Charles Sumner's home for thirty years.[2]
Charles Sumner was born to abolitionist parents, and was educated atHarvard College, where he studied law underJoseph Story. Sumner became politically active in the fight against slavery in the 1840s, when he also gained a reputation as an orator. He helped found the abolitionistFree Soil Party in 1848, under whose banner he won election to theUnited States Senate in 1851. This marked the beginning of a more vocal and aggressive opposition to slavery in the political halls ofWashington, D.C. His searing verbal reprobation of his opponents escalated into violence whenhe was beaten unconscious on the floor of the Senate bySouth Carolina RepresentativePreston Brooks in 1856, an event that emotionally polarized the country. After Sumner's recovery, he returned to the Senate, where he played a leading role as aRadical Republican during theAmerican Civil War, as an advocate of emancipation. After the war he championed civil rights for free slaves during theReconstruction Era, and played a role in the impeachment of PresidentAndrew Johnson.[2]
The house was designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]
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