Senator Stephen A. Douglas believed that through popular sovereignty, the people of the Kansas Territory would vote to become a free state upon its entry into the Union. He believed that the settlers in the Kansas Territory had gone there to escape slavery and the competition of slaves in the labor market. As far as Douglas could tell, the people of Kansas were small time farmers who had little interest in having slavery as part of their economy.
Kansas and Nebraska. The concept was that one would become a free state and the other a slave state, to maintain the senatorial balance. But the concept of popular sovereignty led to armed conficts in Kansas.
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois proposed a bill to organize the Territory of Nebraska, a vast area of land that would become Kansas, Nebraska, Montana and the Dakotas. Known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the controversial bill raised the possibility that slavery could be extended into territories where it had once been banned.
Yes, it is one of the requirements. If a senator does not live in the state they represent, then they cannot become a senator.
Bleeding Kansas
No he did not become president.
Abraham Lincoln - competing to become an Illinois Senator.
In 1833 Stephen A. Douglas was living in New York. Although he wished to practice law, law schools were expensive and admission to the New York State Bar was a long process. Stephens simply did not have the funds to become a lawyer in New York.
Stephen Douglas probably proposed such a plan mentioned above because of the concept of popular sovereignty where the people who reside in a territory that might become a state at a later date could decide for themselves whether they wanted slavery or not. This was 'democracy' in action that sounded good in theory but would have tragic consequences later when it was implemented in Kansas.
No, Douglas never became president.
Senator Stephen A. Douglas was the long time incumbent Senator from Illinois. And, he had important people on his side in his race to be reelected to the senate seat he had in Washington DC representing Illinois. Douglas had many supporters of course, but none were more important than Charles H. Lanphier. He was a long time loyal supporter of Douglas and was the editor of the Springfield Illinois State Register. Along with the Chicago Times, the Register was an aggressive Douglas supporter. Douglas also had in his corner the former Whig who turned Democrat, Orlando Bell Ficklin.He was instrumental in convincing former Whigs like himself to become Democrats.
Kansas and Nebraska. The concept was that one would become a free state and the other a slave state, to maintain the senatorial balance. But the concept of popular sovereignty led to armed conficts in Kansas.
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois proposed a bill to organize the Territory of Nebraska, a vast area of land that would become Kansas, Nebraska, Montana and the Dakotas. Known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the controversial bill raised the possibility that slavery could be extended into territories where it had once been banned.
Yes, and no. In 1854, he was elected to the Illinois legislature but declined the seat, hoping instead to become a U.S. Senator (The State Legislature used to Federal Senators). In 1855, he was not nominated by the Illinois legislature to be U.S. Senator, from Illinois. In 1858, he was nominated to be the Republican Senator from Illinois, opposing Democrat Stephen Douglas. In 1859, the Illinois legislature chooses Douglas for the U.S. Senate over Lincoln by a vote of 54 to 46.
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas wanted an intercontinental railroad connecting Chicago to the western territories. The railroad would be north of the 36º30' line designated as the territories to be free of slavery according to the Missouri Compromise of 1850 and thus make Nebraska a free state. The Southern states objected to this for they felt that states rights should hold true and it should be up to the population of Nebraska to decide. Douglas relented as the Kansas-Nebraska Act came into being. It stated the peoples of Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, and Utah territories would decided to become a free state or a slavery state, thus nullifying the Missouri Compromise.
The Lincoln Douglas debates had a huge impact on the future of Abraham Lincoln. Despite losing his bid to become the senator of Illinois, Lincoln made a name for himself.
US President Millard Fillmore is best known for his support and cooperation with Senator Stephen Douglas for a series of bills leading up to the Missouri Compromise of 1850. Fillmore had become President in 1850 due to the sudden death of President Zachary Taylor.
The original decision to allow each state to have its own laws was challenged by the issue of slavery, as states with differing views on slavery clashed. The Southern states wanted to protect the institution of slavery, while the Northern states sought to limit its expansion. This disagreement over slavery eventually led to the Civil War, where the question of states' rights versus federal laws was a central issue.