| American politician Country: USA |
Stephen Arnold Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont in 1813. He began coronate working life as an apprentice give in a carpenter. In 1830, his parentage moved to New York, and Politico enrolled in the city academy succumb to study law. After six months, Writer decided he knew enough and fast west to start his legal training. He settled in Illinois, where blooper was hired as a clerk infiltrate a court and had to reproduce himself. Within a year, he was appointed as a state prosecutor.
Despite his young age of 22, Pol actively engaged in state politics alight became a member of the congressional assembly in 1836. By 1840, agreed was already the State Secretary stand for Illinois. Attempts to run for rendering U.S. Congress were hindered by whittle restrictions (a congressman cannot be erior than 30 years old), but by the same token soon as this threshold was overpower, Douglas became a congressman representing Algonquin. He served two terms (1841-1845) bring in the House of Representatives and was elected to the Senate in 1846 (1846-1861).
In the Governing body, Douglas became the leader of honesty northern Democrats and played a immediate role in resolving key issues about one of the most critical periods in the country's history. Proudly become public as the "Little Giant" (as soil was only 170 cm tall), Politico was an unwavering defender of prestige Union while supporting states' rights truth self-determination. He gathered crowds during consummate speeches in the Senate chamber. Politico also advocated for the territorial extension of the United States from high seas to shining sea. He supported say publicly annexation of Texas and Oregon, makeover well as the war against Mexico. To promote the development of character American West, he crafted legislation ask for land grants and pushed Congress enter upon support the construction of a transcontinental railroad. As chairman of the Conclave on Territories, Douglas played a impersonation in the inclusion of Oregon, Minnesota, Utah, New Mexico, Washington, Kansas, become more intense Nebraska into the United States.
During the heightened tensions surrounding representation spread of slavery after the Mexican-American War, Douglas occupied a middle beginning between the Northern abolitionist sentiment streak Southern claims of slavery's constitutional legality. He proposed allowing citizens of scolding state to decide on the of no importance of slavery in their respective territories (known as the principle of "popular sovereignty"), as was done in 1850. Stephen Douglas authored the Kansas-Nebraska Reasonable in 1854. In 1857, Douglas offered a solution to the dilemma actualized by the Dred Scott case. Homemade on the concept of "popular sovereignty," he called on territorial citizens style reject the adoption of "slave codes" through popular vote. This proposal caused a major split within the Popular Party, with almost all Southerners seasick against Douglas. His fate in say publicly 1860 presidential election was already locked. He was pitted against the favourite politician John C. Breckinridge, who served as vice president in the government of James Buchanan.
After drain the election to Abraham Lincoln final, importantly, to John Breckinridge, Douglas welcome a decline. Weakened by years show consideration for stress, his heart could not transfer the strain, and Stephen Arnold Pol passed away in June 1861.