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What happened to Stephen Douglas?
On June 3, 1861, Illinois senator Stephen Douglas died in a Chicago hotel room after an exhausting effort to rally public support for the Union.
Where did Stephen Douglas die?
Chicago, ILStephen A. Douglas / Place of death
What happened to Stephen Douglas after the 1860 election?
Ultimately, Lincoln's strong support in the North led to his victory in the election. After the Battle of Fort Sumter, Douglas rallied support for the Union, but he died in June 1861.
What did Stephen Douglas do?
Douglas then undid his own handiwork by promoting the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Designed to promote expansion into western territories, the act further divided the nation over the issue of slavery, spurred the creation of the modern Republican Party, and hastened the rise of Abraham Lincoln.
How tall is Stephen Douglas?
5′ 4″Stephen A. Douglas / Height
Where is Stephen Douglas from?
Brandon, VTStephen A. Douglas / Place of birthBrandon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,129. Wikipedia
What did Lincoln say about Stephen Douglas?
Lincoln said: “Senator Douglas is of world-wide renown. All of the anxious politicians of his party, or who have been of his party for years past, have been looking upon him as certainly, at no distant day, to be the President of the United States.
What did Stephen Douglas accuse Lincoln of?
Douglas and the Freeport Doctrine From their first debate on August 21 in Ottawa, Douglas accused Lincoln of running on a radically antislavery “Black Republican” platform and attempted to link him with leading abolitionists like Frederick Douglass.
What did Lincoln accuse Douglas of?
The debates consisted of Douglas accusing Lincoln of being an abolitionist while Lincoln accused Douglas of wanting to nationalize slavery. These main topics were reflective of the major issues that the country was facing at a national level with both sides battling for what they thought would better the Union.
What did Stephen Douglas do in 1858?
In 1858, as the country moved ever closer to disunion, two politicians from Illinois attracted the attention of a nation. From August 21 until October 15, Stephen Douglas battled Abraham Lincoln in face to face debates around the state. The prize they sought was a seat in the Senate.
Who ran against Lincoln in 1861?
1860 United States presidential electionNomineeAbraham LincolnJohn C. BreckinridgePartyRepublicanSouthern DemocraticHome stateIllinoisKentuckyRunning mateHannibal HamlinJoseph LaneElectoral vote1807214 more rows
What did Douglas argue about slavery?
The Freeport Doctrine is derived from Douglas's response in which he argued that slavery could only exist in places with support from local police regulations. By unequivocally supporting this doctrine, Douglas hurt his chances to achieve victory in 1860.
What did Stephen Douglas do during the Civil War?
During the secession crisis in the winter of 1860-1861, Douglas worked tirelessly alongside like-minded politicians to preserve the Union by serving on the Committee of 13 and introducing his own compromise into Congress. Despite his best efforts, the attempts for a compromise failed and the crisis divulged into war.
Who ran against Lincoln in 1861?
1860 United States presidential electionNomineeAbraham LincolnJohn C. BreckinridgePartyRepublicanSouthern DemocraticHome stateIllinoisKentuckyRunning mateHannibal HamlinJoseph LaneElectoral vote1807214 more rows
What did Stephen Douglas say about slavery?
Douglas argued that slavery was a dying institution that had reached its natural limits and could not thrive where climate and soil were inhospitable. He asserted that the problem of slavery could best be resolved if it were treated as essentially a local problem.
What did Susan Douglas die of?
Pancreatic cancerSuzzanne Douglas / Cause of deathPancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancreatic cancer are known. Wikipedia
What did Stephen Douglas do in 1833?
In 1833, at just age 20, Douglas decided he had had enough of New York and wanted to seek his fortunes out West , which was full of opportunity for an enterprising young man. Despite his mother’s protests and the fact that he had not yet completed his studies at the academy, Stephen ventured out on his own. The newer states of the west had easier conditions for admission to the bar and he was eager to begin his professional career. And so, with his purposes only partially formed and only enough money for immediate needs, he began his westerly drift. After a short stay in Buffalo, NY, and a visit to Niagara Falls, Douglas took a steamboat down to Cleveland, OH. He had initially hoped to establish himself there, it would only take him a year to gain admission to the bar in Ohio, as opposed to four years in Vermont. Within a few days, however, he was stricken with malarial typhoid and was very ill for four months. He could very easily have died. After paying all his bills, he still had forty dollars left. Douglas decided to push further west.
Where did Douglas go?
Douglas decided to push further west. He took a canal boat from Cleveland to the southern Ohio town of Portsmouth, then went west to Cincinnati. Douglas still had no well-defined purpose and drifted from city to city, stopping in Louisville and St. Louis. His money was now almost all spent, he had to find work soon.
How many children did Martha Douglas have?
They had two sons: Robert M. Douglas (1849–1917) and Stephen Arnold Douglas, Jr., (1850–1908). Martha Douglas died on January 19, 1853, after the birth of her third child, a daughter. The girl died a few weeks later, and Douglas and the two boys were bereft.
Why is Douglas Park named Douglas Park?
In 1869, a large park in Chicago was named Douglas Park in honor of the senator. In 2020 the park was renamed Douglass Park, after the abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray Douglass.
Why was Douglas called the Little Giant?
Douglas was nicknamed the " Little Giant " because he was short in physical stature but a forceful and dominant figure in politics. Born in Brandon, Vermont, Douglas migrated to Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1833 to establish a legal practice.
What did Clay do after the collapse of the bill?
After the apparent collapse of the bill, Clay took a temporary leave from the Senate, and Douglas took the lead in advocating for a compromise based largely on Clay's proposals. Rather than passing the proposals as one bill, as Clay had originally sought to do, Douglas would seek to pass each proposal one-by-one.
Where did Stephen Douglas go to school?
Stephen’s mother later married this man’s father, Gehazi Granger. The whole family then relocated to the Granger estate in New York, Stephen included. He was 17 years old at that time, and soon continued his education at nearby Canandaigua Academy. He began the study of Latin and Greek and showed particular skill as a debater. At this point, he may have already been looking forward to a career as a politician. At Canandaigua Academy, Douglas frequently gave speeches supporting Andrew Jackson and Jackson's Democratic Party. A prominent local attorney, Levi Hubbell, allowed Douglas to study under him and while a student in Hubbell's office, Douglas became friendly with Henry B. Payne, who was studying law at the nearby office of John C. Spencer.
What was Stephen Douglas' political career?
While in Illinois, Douglas became involved with state and local politics before he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1842. Douglas served as a Congressman for two terms until he joined the Senate in 1847—a position he held until his death in 1861. While serving in Congress, Douglas earned the nickname “the Little Giant” because at 5’4” Douglas was short in stature, heavyset, with a quick temper, yet he was a gifted orator. Douglas admired President Andrew Jackson, who greatly influenced the Little Giant’s politics. Douglas was a member of the Young Americans, a group of politically ambitious young Democrats who wanted to revitalize the party with the Jacksonian spirit of aggressive expansion and national power. This Young American platform combined with his quick fuse made Douglas unpopular among most of the establishment members of the Democratic Party.
What was Douglas' most important act?
territories. It was these desires that led to Douglas’s most famous piece of legislation: the Kansas-Nebraska Act . The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was the most consequential piece of legislation passed in the antebellum era and was Douglas’s personal pet project. He worked tirelessly to ensure the passage of the legislation, which served as the foundation in his plan to settle the west. However, Douglas faced accusations of being a “Dough Face Democrat” and his creation of the Kansas-Nebraska Act had serious unforeseen consequences not only to Douglas’s political career but to the state of the Union. In the summer of 1854, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Douglas went on a speaking tour across the North to cool passions and garner support for the bill. While on this speaking tour, he faced crowds so hostile that he recalled later he “could have traveled clear across the North by the fiery light of [his] own burning effigy.” By October the hostility began to die down and Douglas won back some support he lost. However, this speaking tour highlighted the increased anger northerners displayed against those politicians who they believed bent to the will of the slave power.
How did the Kansas Nebraska Act affect Douglas?
One of the more damaging effects the Kansas-Nebraska act placed on Douglas’s political career came about during the Lecompton Crisis, a direct result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Popular sovereignty served as the core of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Douglas believed that popular sovereignty was the best way to alleviate the crisis over slavery in the territories. However, when Kansas applied for statehood under the Lecompton Constitution, a constitution that violated popular sovereignty, Douglas could not support it. President James Buchanan risked his entire administration to get this constitution passed in Congress, but Douglas broke with Buchanan and the Democratic Party and joined with the Republicans to block the passage of this statehood bill in Congress. Douglas’s actions during this crisis ruined the Little Giant in the eyes of southerners because they viewed his opposition to the statehood bill as the ultimate betrayal. Douglas would never regain their support, which had significant consequences during his campaign for president in 1860.
What was Douglas's role in the secession crisis?
During the secession crisis in the winter of 1860-1861, Douglas worked tirelessly alongside like-minded politicians to preserve the Union by serving on the Committee of 13 and introducing his own compromise into Congress. Despite his best efforts, the attempts for a compromise failed and the crisis divulged into war.
Who was the senator who died in 1813?
Stephen Douglas. Library of Congress. Title Senator. Date of Birth - Death April 23, 1813-June 3, 1861. Although a complex statesman, Stephen Douglas stood as one of the leading political figures in the coming of the American Civil War. Stephen Douglas was born in the midst of the War of 1812, on April 23, 1813, in Brandon, ...
Why is Stephen Douglas so famous?
Stephen Douglas was a US Senator known for the ‘Freeport Doctrine’. He was popularly known as ‘Little Giant’, because he was short in physique but was an eminent, political figure in the 19th century . He was actively involved in the ‘Young America Movement’ that wanted to supplant the dogmas and the tenets of the past with a young ...
What did Douglas do at the end of his life?
Towards the end of his life, he got back into the Senate and gave his full support to the Lincoln government. At the new president’s bid, he went on an undertaking to the Midwest and the Border states to awaken the spirit of Unionism.
What was Douglas's principle?
His ‘popular sovereignty’ principle that slavery should be controlled by states individually appealed to a very small mass of society. However, with the declaration of the ‘Dred Scott decision’, Douglas’ party was denied ‘popular sovereignty’ and was denied the rights to abolish slavery in certain parts of the country.
Why did Douglas run for president in 1860?
In 1860, Douglas was chosen as a candidate for presidency but due to the split between Southern and Northern Democrats, the tension in the party increased, which led to Abraham Lincoln’s eventual success. Douglas placed second in the popular voting but placed last in electoral votes.
Overview
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which was won by Republican Abraham Lincoln. Douglas had previously defeated Lincoln in the 1858 United States Senate election in Illinois, known for the pivotal Lincoln–Douglas debates. He was one of the brokers of the Compromise o…
Early life and education
He was born Stephen Arnold Douglass in Brandon, Vermont, on April 23, 1813, to physician Stephen Arnold Douglass and his wife, Sarah Fisk. The younger Douglas would drop the second "s" from his name in 1846, the year after the publication of Frederick Douglass's first autobiography; it is unknown if these two events were connected. Douglas's paternal ancestors had migrated to New England in the 17th century, and his paternal grandfather, Benajah Douglass…
Early career
Douglas became aligned with the "whole hog" Democrats, who strongly supported President Jackson. In 1834, with the support of the Democratic state legislator who represented Jacksonville, Douglas was elected as the State's Attorney for the First District, which encompassed eight counties in western Illinois. Douglas quickly became uninterested in practicing law, choosing instead to focus on politics. He helped arrange the first-ever state Dem…
Marriage and family
In March 1847, he married Martha Martin, the 21-year-old daughter of wealthy Colonel Robert Martin of North Carolina. The year after their marriage, Martha's father died and bequeathed her a 2,500-acre cotton plantation with 100 slaves on the Pearl River in Lawrence County, Mississippi. He appointed Douglas the property manager but, as a senator of the free state of Illinois, and with presidential aspirations, Douglas found the Southern plantation presented difficulties. He create…
Senator
Douglas was re-elected to the House of Representatives in 1846, but the state legislature elected him to the United States Senate in early 1847. The United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican–American War and acquired the Mexican Cession in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the war, Douglas attempted to avoid the debate over the Wilmot Proviso by immediately admitting the territory acquired from Mexico as one single, huge state. His proposa…
Death
Douglas was struck by illness in May 1861 and was confined to his bed. Though his supporters initially expected a quick recovery, Douglas contracted typhoid fever and suffered from several other afflictions (see above). He died on June 3, coincidentally on the same day as the Battle of Philippi, the first skirmish of the American Civil War. On June 4, Secretary of War Simon Cameron issued a circular to Union armies, announcing "the death of a great statesman ... a man who nob…
Position on slavery
For a century and a half, historians have debated whether Douglas opposed slavery, and whether he was a compromiser or a devotee of principles. In his "Freeport Doctrine" of 1858, he repeatedly said that he did not care whether slavery was voted up or down, but only that white people had the right to vote it up or down. He denounced as sacrilegious the petitions signed by thousands of clergymen in 1854, who said the Kansas–Nebraska Act offended God's will. He rejected the Repu…
Legacy
According to biographer Roy Morris Jr., Douglas "is remembered, if at all, for a hard-fought election victory that most people believe mistakenly was a defeat". Morris adds, however, that "for the better part of two decades, Douglas was the most famous and controversial politician in the United States." Douglas always had a deep and abiding faith in democracy. "Let the people rule!" was his cry, and he insisted that the people locally could and should make the decisions about sl…