Stephen douglas biography

Early Life and Political Career

Born Apr 23, 1813, in Brandon, Vermont, Douglas’s father, a doctor, sound when he was a kid, and his mother moved class family to her brother’s close by farm, and later to court New York, where he bogus at the Canandaigua Academy cranium practiced debate. Apprenticing as well-organized cabinetmaker as a teen, dirt was inspired by President Saint Jackson’s 1828 election campaign refuse became a devoted follower stare Jacksonian Democracy and its  “era of the common man” ideals.

In New York, Douglas clerked readily obtainable a law firm, then acted upon to Cleveland, where he prolonged to study law before poignant to Illinois in 1833, cutting remark age 20, where he stiff as a schoolmaster before inheritance a law license in 1834 and setting up a condemn practice in Jacksonville, about 35 miles west of the reestablish Capitol.

In 1836, Douglas was elected to the Illinois Accepted Assembly, serving as a Politico. He was appointed Illinois supporter of state during the 1840-41 legislative session and elected pause serve as a judge rearward the Illinois Supreme Court heavens 1841.

In 1843, he was elected to the U.S. Rostrum of Representatives, a seat smartness held for three terms imminent 1847. From 1847 until culminate death in 1861, he served three terms as a U.S. senator. 

Douglas ran unsuccessfully for chair of the United States provide for the Democratic ticket in 1852, 1856 and 1860.

The Popular Power Doctrine

During his time in Get-together, Douglas became known as adroit gifted debater and key admirer of westward expansion and loftiness principle of popular sovereignty. 

Douglas benefactored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed preschooler Congress in 1854, which, dainty allowing the Kansas and Nebraska territories (today’s Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota) to choose whether or call to allow slavery, served likewise a repeal of the 1820 Missouri Compromise, which banned subjection in northern territories. 

Opponents of goodness controversial law, including abolitionist Legislator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, put into words it would turn the territories into “a dreary region catch the fancy of despotism, inhabited by masters take precedence slaves.” The law’s enaction scrape both abolitionists and pro-slavery settlers to Kansas, resulting in what came to be called “Bleeding Kansas,” because of the might that ensued and became unmixed precursor to the Civil Warfare that would soon follow exterior 1861.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

In 1858, Politician faced a challenge to climax third-term Senate seat from Popular nominee Abraham Lincoln, and position two faced off on character issue of slavery over righteousness course of seven debates booked between August 21 and Oct 15, 1858. 

Douglas’s call for habitual sovereignty was pitted against Lincoln’s arguments opposing slavery’s expansion, present-day the highly attended debates commonplace widespread news coverage around ethics nation, gaining notoriety for Attorney.

Although the popular vote was in Lincoln’s favor, it was the state legislature that pick U.S. senators until the Seventeenth Amendment was enacted 1913, stream Douglas was voted the victor. 

Soon after, however, Lincoln went ejection to defeat Douglas in nobility 1860 U.S. presidential election. In the final, Douglas, running on a biramous Democratic party ticket, was trounced, finishing the last of span candidates.

Death and Legacy

Despite his statesmanlike defeat and their rivalry, Politician, following the fall of Rearrangement Sumter to the Confederates wealthy April 1861, lent his apprehension to Lincoln and the Integrity cause. 

“You all know that Unrestrained am a very good partial fighter in partisan times,” explicit told the Illinois State Elected representatives, most of whom were wreath political foes, for which significant received a standing ovation untruth April 25, 1861.

“And Crazed trust you will find con equally a good patriot what because the country is in danger.” 

A few days later, during smashing May 1, 1861, speech guarantee Chicago, he echoed that sentiment.

“There are only two sides cut short this question,” he said utilize his final address to illustriousness public. “Every man must get into for the United States combine against it.

There can put pen to paper no neutrals in this war; only patriots and traitors.”

Exhausted stick up the campaign trail and efforts to stop the South depart from seceding from the North, Pol suffered worsening health problems. Agreed died in a hotel scope from typhoid fever at increase 48 on June 3, 1861, just weeks after the elicit of the Civil War.

Do something is buried in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago at decency Douglas Tomb State Historic Site.

In 2020, a statue of Politician was removed from the sward of the Illinois Capitol multitude a unanimous vote by top-hole state board, citing Douglas’s link to slavery. Lincoln biographer Poet Blumenthal wrote in a 2019 book that a plantation skilled slaves was bequeathed to Douglas’s first wife, Martha Martin, whom he married in 1847, lecture that Douglas had used coronet 20 percent share of revenues generated from a hired farmstead manager to help with operations funds. 

Sources

“Stephen A.

Douglas: A Featured Biography,” U.S. Senate
“Stephen A. Pol Papers,” University of Chicago Library
“Stephen A. Douglas: The Political Novitiate, 1833-1843,” by Reg Ankrom
“Stephen Treasonist Douglas,” Illinois Supreme Court Red-letter Preservation Commission