'Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation' (Full Bio)

All Of It with Alison Stewart | Jul 5, 2025

For this month's installment of Full Bio, we learn about the life of Senator Charles Sumner with Zaakir Tameez, author of the new biography, Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation. Sumner was a fierce abolitionist and statesman from Massachusetts who was a pivotal advisor to President Lincoln and an influential force during the Civil War. You can listen to all three parts of our series in full.

Charles Sumner, Part 1: Sumner's upbringing in a diverse neighborhood in Boston, and how that experience led him to become an abolitionist.
Charles Sumner, Part 2: Sumner's experiences as a statesman during the Civil War, the caning incident, and questions about his sexuality.
Charles Sumner, Part 3: Sumner's relationship with the Lincolns, and life after the Civil War.

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