Changes

==Early career==

==Early career==

A [[Yankee]] born in Brandon, Vermont, Douglas came to Illinois in 1833 at age 20, was an itinerant teacher, studied law, and settled in [[Jacksonville, Illinois]]. By the end of one year, he told his Vermont relatives, "I have become a Western man, have imbibed Western feelings principles and interests and have selected Illinois as the favorite place of my adoption." Within a decade, he was elected to the state legislature, and was appointed register of the Springfield Land Office, Illinois Secretary of State, and an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841, at age 27. A leader of the majority [[History of the United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], he was elected twice to Congress (1842 and 1844), where he championed expansion and supported the [[Mexican War]]. Elected by the legislature to the Senate in 1847, he was reelected in 1853 and 1859. He contested the 1858 legislative elections by going head to head with Lincoln in a series of nationally famous debates.

A [[Yankee]] born in Brandon, Vermont, Douglas came to Illinois in 1833 at age 20, was an itinerant teacher, studied law, and settled in [[Jacksonville, Illinois]]. By the end of one year, he told his Vermont relatives, "I have become a Western man, have imbibed Western feelings principles and interests and have selected Illinois as the favorite place of my adoption." Within a decade, he was elected to the state legislature, and was appointed register of the Springfield Land Office, Illinois Secretary of State, and an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841, at age 27. A leader of the majority [[Democratic Party]], he was elected twice to Congress (1842 and 1844), where he championed expansion and supported the [[Mexican War]]. Elected by the legislature to the Senate in 1847, he was reelected in 1853 and 1859. He contested the 1858 legislative elections by going head to head with Lincoln in a series of nationally famous debates.

[[Henry Clay]] chiefly designed the [[Compromise of 1850]], but the omnibus bill containing it did not pass Congress. Each point separately had majority support, but Northerners and Southerners combined to vote the bill down for their own reasons.  Douglas passed the Compromise by dividing  it into separate bills, and arranged a different majority for each. <ref>McPherson</ref>He moved to Chicago, gaining wealth by marriage to a Mississippi woman who inherited a slave plantation. An avid promoter of westward expansion, he devised the [[land grant]] system that enabled the funding of the [[Illinois Central]] railroad.  <ref> Johannsen (1973) </ref>

[[Henry Clay]] chiefly designed the [[Compromise of 1850]], but the omnibus bill containing it did not pass Congress. Each point separately had majority support, but Northerners and Southerners combined to vote the bill down for their own reasons.  Douglas passed the Compromise by dividing  it into separate bills, and arranged a different majority for each. He moved to Chicago, gaining wealth by marriage to a Mississippi woman who inherited a slave plantation. An avid promoter of westward expansion, he devised the [[land grant]] system that enabled the funding of the [[Illinois Central]] railroad.  <ref> Johannsen (1973) </ref>

Douglas always had a deep and abiding faith in democracy. "Let the people rule!" was his cry, and he insisted that the people locally could and should make the decisions about slavery, rather than the national government.  He was passed over for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1852 and 1856.<ref> Dean 1995</ref>

Douglas always had a deep and abiding faith in democracy. "Let the people rule!" was his cry, and he insisted that the people locally could and should make the decisions about slavery, rather than the national government.  He was passed over for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1852 and 1856.<ref> Dean 1995</ref>