What was Stephen A. Douglas' view of slavery?

Answer 1

Stephen Douglas was born on April 23, 1813 in Brandon Vermont. Yes, he did support slavery.

Douglas'political battles with Abraham Lincoln in both 1858 and again in 1860. In 1858 Douglas sought reelection as senator. He represented the Democratic Party in the election, while his opponent, Lincoln, was the Republican Party's candidate. Lincoln argued that the U.S. could not survive with 1/2 of the nation allowing slavery and other 1/2 opposing this institution. Lincoln contended that African Americans were human beings and that they deserved their freedom, but he never claimed that blacks were as intelligent as or should have equal rights to whites. Douglas championed sovereignty and accused Lincoln of believing African Americans were equal to whites. He even suggested that Lincoln supported whites and blacks marrying and having children with each other. By inspiring fear in Illinois voters and mischaracterizing Lincoln's views. Douglas retained his seat.

Douglas and Lincoln met again on the political battlefield in the presidential election of 1860. In this election, Lincoln represented the Republican Party, while Douglas represent the Northern democratic Party. By the late 1850s the Democratic Party was in disarray over slavery. Northern members opposed slavery's explansion, while Southern members believed that slavery should exist across the U.S. Douglas refused to endorse the Southerners' views and the Democratic Party split in two.

Lincoln won the election against the other 3 candidates. Many Northern voters agreed with him that African Americans deserved their freedom, but that blacks were not equal to whites. Many of these people also agreed with Lincoln that the federal gov't could not end slavery where it already existed, but that it could prohibit slavery in new territories and states. In 1860, the North enjoyed a population of approx., 23 million people to the South's nine million. Douglas provided the only real opposition to Lincoln in the North, but most Northern voters preferred Lincoln's views than Douglas' platform. With a wide advantage in population totals the North controlled the Electoral College, giving Lincoln the victory in the election. In Ohio, Lincoln finished first, with more than 231,000 votes to Douglas' 187,000.

Forgot to add this re Stephen Douglas:

Douglas was gracious in defeat. He remained in the U.S. Senate and attempted to find a peaceful solution to the tensions between the North and the South. Following the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Douglas back Lincoln and his efforts to return the South to the U.S. through military force. Douglas died on June 3, 1861.

Answer 2

Douglas personally hated slavery but he felt it was important for the local people "popular sovereignty" to decide the issue rather than the federal government to mandate. He was involved in the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas Nebraska Act.