Stephen A. Douglas Bio
Stephen Arnold Douglas (1813-1861) was born in Brandon, Vermont. He received a basic education, became employed in farm work and, briefly, teaching. at age 20 he moved to Illinois, his home for the remainder of his life. Douglas began practicing law in 1834, followed quickly by a strong political career, including the office of Illinois attorney general, two years in the state legislature and an unsuccessful run for Congress. In 1840, Douglas became Illinois Secretary of State, then served as a judge on the state supreme court from 1841 to 1843. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1843 and to the Senate in 1847. Known as the “Little Giant” for his diminutive size but towering will, Douglas played a major role in most of the major public issues of his day. He was an ardent expansionist, advocating the takeover of Cuba and the entirety of the Oregon Territory. He was a supporter of the Mexican War. In the wake of the Compromise of 1850, Douglas increasingly called for Americans to use the doctrine of "popular sovereignty" as the solution o the thorny issue of slavery in the territories. Douglas saw popular sovereignty, which asked the settlers of federal territories to decide the status (free or slave) under which they would join the Union, as a way to remove the issue of slavery's expansion from national politics. But actually using popular sovereignty led to a violent struggle between pro-slavery and free-soil settlers (such as the debate over whether or not Kansas should become a slave state). In 1858 Douglas stood as one of the Democratic Party's national leaders. When he sought reelection to the Senate, he faced the Republican Abraham Lincoln, a prominent Springfield lawyer, former legislator, and former Congressman. Although Douglas won the election, the debates made Lincoln a spokesman for northerners opposing the extension of slavery in the western territories and a national political figure. Many southerners rejected Douglas' notion of "popular sovereignty" as an insufficient guarantee of their right to bring slave property into the territories. Northerners were no friends of Douglas either – they despised leaving the issue of slavery up to “popular sovereignty.” In 1860, Douglas had voters from many states who supported him but it was clear he did not have enough support to win electoral votes. The 1860 election resolved around one issue – slavery and its expansion. Douglas began as a friend of the southerners, however many turned on him when Douglas openly supported popular sovereignty. Many others turned on him because of his background – he from Illinois, a northern state. The Democratic party split – the Northern Democrats nominated Douglas, Southern Democrats nominated John Breckinridge. This split paved the way for a strong, young candidate, Abraham Lincoln from Illinois.
This bio comes from a package that I purchased at this website. All worksheets and bios on this website come from this source.
Questions to be Answered During the Debate:
- First, introduce yourself, who are you and where do you come from?
- This position of President is a very difficult one. What experience do you have that you believe makes you ready to hold this position?
- Now lets begin the debate. We will start with the issue of slavery. If you were President, how would you handle this issue as we move into the future?
- Think about what has happened recently--the violence in "Bleeding Kansas", John Brown's attempt to arm slaves in order to lead a violent revolt. If you had your way with slavery, how do you think the people would respond? Also, is there a peaceful way out of this?
- There has been a lot of talk lately about letting new territories decide slavery for themselves. What are your thoughts about "popular sovereignty?"
- The North has more fields and a larger agricultural output that the South. Yet, instead of slave labor the North invested in advanced machinery and technology. Why cant the South do the same?
These questions also come from the same source.