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Catalog Data

Artist:
Edgar Parker, 1840 - 1892  Search this
Sitter:
Charles Sumner, 6 Jan 1811 - 11 Mar 1874  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 137.2 x 86.4cm (54 x 34")
Frame: 156.2 x 104.1 x 10.2cm (61 1/2 x 41 x 4")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1874
Exhibition Label:
Born Boston, Massachusetts
Charles Sumner’s unswerving commitment to racial justice was the defining feature of his legislative career. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1851, he was an outspoken opponent of slavery. During the Civil War, Sumner lobbied tirelessly for emancipation and advocated opening the Union army to Black enlistment.
Allied with the Radical Republicans during Reconstruction, Sumner focused single mindedly on securing full civil rights for African Americans. To this end, he introduced the Civil Rights Act of 1870. The measure was designed to ensure unfettered access, regardless of race, to “all the public conveyances” (including railroads and steamships), accommodations, theaters, public schools, churches, cemeteries, and jury service. Felled by a heart attack in 1874, it was Sumner’s dying wish that his civil rights bill achieve passage. When it was finally enacted in 1875, however, the key provision for public school integration had been stripped away by opponents.
Nacido en Boston, Massachusetts
La dedicación de Charles Sumner a la justicia racial definió su carrera legislativa. Elegido por primera vez para el Senado de EE.UU. en 1851, fue un franco opositor de la esclavitud. Durante la Guerra Civil abogó sin tregua por la emancipación y la admisión de los afroamericanos en el ejército de la Unión.
Aliado con los republicanos radicales durante la Reconstrucción, Sumner se entregó a la lucha por plenos derechos civiles para los afroamericanos. Presentó el proyecto de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1870 para asegurar el acceso libre, sin distinción de raza, a “todo transporte público” (incluidos ferrocarriles y vapores), alojamiento, teatros, escuelas públicas, iglesias, cementerios y participación en jurados. Víctima de un ataque cardíaco en 1874, su último deseo fue ver aprobado su proyecto de ley. Sin embargo, cuando la ley se promulgó por fin en 1875, la crucial cláusula de integración en las escuelas públicas había sido eliminada por sus opositores.
Provenance:
(John Foster Ansley, Atlanta): purchase 1969 NPG.
Topic:
Printed Material\Document  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Chain  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez  Search this
Charles Sumner: Male  Search this
Charles Sumner: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this
Charles Sumner: Politics and Government\Statesman  Search this
Charles Sumner: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer  Search this
Charles Sumner: Politics and Government\US Senator\Massachusetts  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.69.39
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View:
NPG, East Gallery 123
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4e55b2322-dbe2-4b1b-9527-3bdb7eab2058
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.69.39