What is brooks vs Sumner 1856?

Brooks v. Sumner was a notable incident in 1856 that highlighted the intense sectional conflicts leading up to the American Civil War. It involved Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina attacking Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts on the Senate floor with a cane, in response to Sumner's anti-slavery speech that criticized Brooks's cousin, Senator Andrew Butler. The assault symbolized the violent tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States, illustrating the deepening divide over the issue of slavery. The incident garnered widespread attention and further inflamed public opinion on both sides of the slavery debate.