Capitol Crimes: Congressional Violence in Civil War Run-Up
By Nancy Tappan
December 2018 • American History magazine
Polarization turned bloody as politicians fought over slavery
Today’s polarization in Congress has nothing on its antebellum antecedent. In her new book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, Yale historian Joanne B. Freeman documents dozens of literal brawls involving congressmen and senators as the conflict over slavery reached a boil.
By historynet
Members of Congress now insult each other regularly, but they don’t often fight. Before the Civil War, however, insults could lead to fisticuffs, and drawn knives and pistols. Why the difference? America was different, Washington was different, and Congress was different.
http://www.historynet.com/capitol-crimes-congressional-violence-in-civil-war-run-up.htm
