The caning of charles sumner by preston brooks: a. was denounced by most southerners as barbaric. b. occurred because sumner praised the attack on lawrence, kansas. c. was unusual because both men were proslavery democrats. d. showed the extreme violence of which northern abolitionists were capable. e. actually the new republican party.

The correct answer is E. The caning of Charles Sumner by Preston Brooks actually helped the new Republican Party.

Explanation:

Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was elected to integrate the United States Senate in 1851 by the Free Soil Party, which he had helped found to oppose the expansion of slavery in the newly acquired territories of the United States. Sumner was a strong speaker who campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of slavery. In May 1856, he gained great notoriety due to the aggression suffered in the Senate at the hands of Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina. Sumner had criticized Brooks' cousin, Senator Andrew P. Butler of South Carolina, for the actions taken by the South to extend slavery in the territory of Kansas. It took Sumner years to recover from the beating he received from Brooks. This attack left the Democratic Party as an intolerant and violent group, encouraging the support of much of society to the recently created Republican Party.

He continued in the Senate after the Civil War. During the time of reconstruction, he pronounced himself in favor of the application of a hard policy towards the South and campaigned for the full equality and civil rights of emancipated slaves to be established.