How to Fight ICE & Norm Finkelstein’s Hope for the Future

The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel Jan 22, 2026

(Image from Wikipedia.org)

When Charles Sumner was asked, “What do we need now?” He replied, “Backbone, backbone and more backbone.”

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Charles Sumner, a staunch abolitionist U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1851–1874), embodied “backbone” through his uncompromising, Radical Republican stance against slavery and for civil rights

. His 1856 “Crime Against Kansas” speech, which targeted the slavery oligarchy, demonstrated his fortitude despite the threat of violence. 

• The “Backbone” Incident: Following his fiery two-day speech, Sumner was brutally assaulted with a cane by Rep. Preston Brooks on the Senate floor in May 1856.
• Physical and Political Courage: Despite severe, long-lasting injuries from the beating, Sumner returned to the Senate three years later to continue fighting for equal rights, demonstrating immense personal and political courage.
• Legacy: Known as the “conscience of a nation,” he was a steadfast proponent of the Thirteenth Amendment and the first civil rights bills. 

Sumner’s “backbone” represents his refusal to be intimidated by the violent defense of slavery by Southern proponents.