How Sen. Charles Sumner — who was attacked in 1856 for opposing slavery — was 'ahead of his time'

In the 1850s, the U.S. Congress was bitterly divided over the issue of slavery, and on May 22, 1856, tensions boiled over with a violent attack on the Senate floor.

A slave-owning representative from South Carolina used a cane to attack and beat Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner, who was vehemently opposed to slavery and spoke out against it.

Here & Now's Anthony Brooks talks to David Freudberg, the host of the public radio show and podcast Humankind, about his new radio documentary “Ahead of His Time: The Story of Charles Sumner."