Stephen A. Douglas
American politician and lawyer (1813-1861) · United States · On the map · Politicians · Died at 48
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate for fourteen years and defeated Abraham Lincoln to win reelection in 1858, a campaign known for the pivotal Lincoln-Douglas debates.
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Abraham Lincoln 3 moreCandidateIn historyPresidential election: Abraham Lincoln winsWith Abraham Lincoln 3 moreCandidate1858In historyLincoln-Douglas debatesWith Abraham LincolnTook part1847Named United States senatorOffice4 March 1847 to 3 June 18611813Born23 April 1813People around Stephen
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Douglas at the age of 17 or 18
Stephen A. Douglas
The United States in 1849, with Texas' land claims on New Mexico shown
The United States after the Compromise of 1850
Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Freesoiler - An 1856 cartoon depicts a giant "Free Soiler" being held down by James Buchanan and Lewis Cass standing on the Democratic platform marked "Kansas", "Cuba" and "Central America". Franklin Pierce also holds down the giant's beard as Douglas shoves a black man down his throat. A victim of lynching can also be seen in the background.
Stephen A. Douglas, photograph by Mathew Brady
Abraham Lincoln was Douglas' opponent in both the 1858 Senate election in Illinois and the 1860 presidential election.About this person
He was the representative of the Northern Democrats in the 1860 United States presidential election; with the Democrats split between northern and southern factions in the leadup to the American Civil War, he was defeated by Lincoln, the Republican nominee. During his senate career, Douglas was one of the brokers of the Compromise of 1850, which sought to avert a sectional crisis over the issue of slavery. To deal with the volatile issue of whether to extend slavery into US territories, Douglas became the foremost advocate of popular sovereignty, which held that the voters of each territory should be allowed to decide. At just 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall, Douglas was nicknamed the "Little Giant" because he was short in physical stature but a forceful and dominant figure in politics.
