Stephen A. Douglas

Who was Stephen A. Douglas?

Stephen A. Douglas, Stephen A Douglas or just Stephen Douglas was a Senator from Illinois, Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

What turned Abraham Lincoln into politics?

When Abraham Lincoln was 38, Abraham Lincoln ran for and won a seat in Congress, still as a member of the Whig Party. When his term expired Abraham Lincoln returned to Springfield and took up his law practice with renewed vigor. By the 1850's, Abraham Lincoln was one of the leading lawyers in Illinois. Abraham Lincoln might have continued as a lawyer in Illinois except for a sudden change in the national policy towards slavery, that lured him once more into politics.

What did Stephen A. Douglas do in the Civil War?

The change was a repeal of the Missouri Compromise, an earlier bill that prohibited slavery in new territories. The new bill allowed settlers in the territories to decide for themselves if they wanted slavery. It had been introduced by a Senator from Illinois named Stephen A. Douglas.

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas

Abraham Lincoln was outraged. Although not an abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln was strongly opposed to further spread of slavery. Slavery, Abraham Lincoln said, was in violation of the American principles of equality and freedom. It would enable enemies of the free world to, "taunt us as hypocrites." Determined to stop the new bill, Abraham Lincoln spearheaded a movement against Stephen Douglas and other politicians who supported it.