What was Stephen Douglas' attempt to secure the bid for presidency?

Answer 1

In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois saw an opportunity to run for the presidency, and he wanted the support of southern Democrats. The Democratic Party was particularly in favor of states' rights and believed states should get to decide for themselves the legality of slavery.

However, there was again the question of slavery with the admission of new territories. Douglas offered a solution, the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The proposal advocated popular sovereignty, which meant letting people in a specific area decide the fate of slavery. In doing so, the country would be repealing the Missouri Compromise. The Kansas-Nebraska Act would appeal to southerners, thus improving his chance of election in the presidential race.

Although Congress passed the act, it was a huge upset to northerners. Douglas had believed that the people of Kansas and Nebraska would not opt to allow slavery into the territories, resulting in no major difference within the region. Douglas' proposal backfired on him so severely that in 1854 there was the introduction of the new Republican Party, from which the current political party stems. The sole purpose of this group was to abolish slavery. The Republicans were so adamant in their opposition to Douglas and his proposals that they gained strength to sustain their political party, which did not fade away as others before it had.