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Interestingly: In 1860, when Lincoln was nominated for president on the Republican ticket, Douglas said of him to Republicans, "Gentlemen, you have nominated a very able and a very honest man."
As to what happened to him:
Douglas contracted typhoid fever and died June 3, 1861.
A shame. I don't have a great deal of admiration for Douglas, but anyone who could hold his own (and win the election where they debated) against Lincoln was not a man to be underestimated.
May he rest in peace.
__________________ Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
Stephen Douglas was worthless for he was as much the problem of the 1850's as those useless Presidents of that period were. He was in the senate an appeaser to the southern slave interest that in the end led our nation into dissolution and war.
__________________
"States Rights are about States Wrongs" - Jesse Jackson
The biggest problem with men who oppose our own view of things is usually they are honest and completely believe in their own point of view.
I agree with Elennsar on this one. Douglas was a man of his times and showed much courage in his day. It was he, at the possible expense of ending his own political career, that faced down the Buchanan administration over admitting Kansas as a slave state with a odious and false pro-slavery constitution.
He also had the guts to fully support Lincoln and go against secession when he could have turned his back and washed his hands of the whole mess.
He placed his country above those who wished to tear it apart.
He deserves to rest in peace and, more importantly, be remembered.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
To add to my case against Stephan Douglas as an appeaser to the Southern Slave interest. He sponsored the Compromise of 1850 that started our nation down the road to dissolution and later on he sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska of 1854. Which gave us bleeding Kansas a another big step towards the dissolution of our nation and war. He may have wanted to redeem himself for his ill fated path. He put our nation on but he stands next to President Buchanan as worthless figure of the 1850's.
A few points.....
__________________
"States Rights are about States Wrongs" - Jesse Jackson
To add to my case against Stephan Douglas as an appeaser to the Southern Slave interest. He sponsored the Compromise of 1850 that started our nation down the road to dissolution and later on he sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska of 1854. Which gave us bleeding Kansas a another big step towards the dissolution of our nation and war. He may have wanted to redeem himself for his ill fated path. He put our nation on but he stands next to President Buchanan as worthless figure of the 1850's.
A few points.....
Fish,
I have seen very persuasive arguments on this forum and elsewhere that our nation started down the road to disunion the day we ratified the US Constitution without permanently resolving the slavery issue. We saw this rear its ugly head again and again between the founding of the republic and 1860....Nullification, Annexation of Texas, Mexican war, and so on.
As to Douglas' character, I'm with Blue. He was definitely a product of his times. In fact, Lincoln had a tremendous amount of respect for Douglas. And if he had, in fact, sold out to the South, Lincoln would not have been elected in 1860. A unified Democratic party would have won.
__________________ David
"I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person" diddyriddick
Douglas' idea of popular sovereignty was based on the idea of popular democracy. Douglas underestimated the people of the US in their collective ability to play by the rules of democracy. I wonder if anyone had predicted the Kansas-Nebraska Act would turn into "Bleeding Kansas"?
__________________ "Those who forget to remember the past are condemned to repeat it", George Santayana.
I wouldn't say it would be impossible. But it would have taken a great level of cynicism about the American people or insight into just how throughly FUBARed (so far as it being solved peacefully) the slavery question was.
In other words, I can't think of anyone who would be certain. Afraid that it might, maybe. But unlikely.
Even today, its hard to believe that people would.
__________________ Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
Douglas' idea of popular sovereignty was based on the idea of popular democracy. Douglas underestimated the people of the US in their collective ability to play by the rules of democracy. I wonder if anyone had predicted the Kansas-Nebraska Act would turn into "Bleeding Kansas"?
I think you mean Douglas over estimated the ability of people to follow and play by the rules within a Democracy. Douglas thought by using the democratic process that the people could figure out a solution to slavery in the new territories. Douglas and others failed to realize that the people on either side of the slavery issue were not willing to except the democratic out come if it went against their wishes. Democracy only works when all parties agree to except the out come after an election or vote on an issue win or lose.
Bleeding Kansas was because all parties to the democratic process were only willing to except out comes that follow their wishes.
__________________
"States Rights are about States Wrongs" - Jesse Jackson
The country had drifting toward war for generations With the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, the course leading directly to war was set.
When Douglas, kow towed to southern leaders in Congress to get their support for his bill, he himself realized that it would creat a hell of a storn in Congress and the country, but his pride and arrogance convinced him that it could be contained by the normal give and take of every day politics of Congress. In the political process, Douglas Did Not Care, whether slavery was voted up or down.
Lincoln had warned in his Cooper Union Speech, that the issue of slavery was beyond the normal politics of the day and it was rediculous to urge a do not care attitude about an issue that a great many Did care about.
In one respect Douglas and his actions were not unlike the confederacy later in 1860. He created a great storm, then stood in its path to defy it only to be destroyed by it.
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