Douglas, Stephen Arnold

Stephen Arnold (1813-1861), an American statesman. He was a native of Vermont. His father died when he was a mere child. His mother was left in needy circumstances. As soon as he was old enough he worked at the trade of cabinetmaker. His education never extended beyond the limits of an academy. He studied law and was admitted to practice in the state of Illinois in 1834. In politics he was an adherent of Andrew Jackson and soon became leader of the Western democracy. He was a man of small stature and great intellect, with remarkable oratorical ability. He was early dubbed "the little giant," a term which supporters and opponents insisted on giving him during the rest of his life. He rose rapidly from one position to another. His fame rests, however, on his services in Congress. He was a firm supporter of Henry Clay in the compromise measures by which that great leader strove to reconcile the conflicting opinions of the North and South. Douglas became known as the father of the doctrine of squatter sovereignty. In 1854 a committee of which he was chairman, brought in the famous Kansas-Nebraska bill, which proposed to leave the inhabitants of Kansas and Nebraska free to adopt slavery by a popular vote. As this bill repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Douglas was bitterly assailed by many of his former friends in the North. He was a candidate repeatedly for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, but was passed by in 1852 for Franklin Pierce; and again in 1856 for Buchanan. He and Lincoln were political opponents for many a year. In 1858 they canvassed the state of Illinois together, the prize being the United States senatorship. The author of The Crisis has described the skillful way in which Lincoln led Douglas into utterances on the subject of slavery--pitfalls that subsequently brought about his political downfall. In 1860 Douglas was nominated for president by a branch of the Democracy, but was defeated by Lincoln. He lived long enough to witness the outbreak of the Civil War, and to give Lincoln hearty support. Among his last public utterances was a notable one to the effect that the war at hand permitted no neutrals. He died at Chicago. See Lincoln