Looking back at Lincoln's rival, the 'Little Giant'

Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opens exhibit marking bicentennial of Stephen Douglas

[June 06, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- A new exhibit tracing the life of Abraham Lincoln's greatest rival, Stephen A. Douglas, from his student years to his political triumphs to his death has opened at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

This year is the bicentennial of Douglas' birth. And Monday marked the anniversary of his death in 1861.

The exhibit includes a schoolbook from Douglas' youth in Vermont, as well as images of him throughout his life. There's also a letter to one of his political allies in Douglas' famed Senate race against Lincoln, as well as a chip from the tree that shaded Lincoln and Douglas during a debate in Quincy. A poster and special flag represent Douglas' failed bid for president in 1860.

The lives of Douglas and Lincoln intertwined for years.

Both men courted Mary Todd. Both served in the Illinois Legislature and then in Congress, where they took opposing sides on the Mexican War. They also differed on how to address slavery, and in 1858, they ran for Senate and engaged in a famous series of debates on the issue.

Douglas won the Senate race but lost two years later when he and Lincoln both ran for president, Lincoln as a Republican and Douglas as a Democrat. Douglas, known as the "Little Giant" for his short stature and huge influence, died seven months later.

The Douglas display, located outside the museum's popular "Ghosts of the Library" show, will be open for approximately two months.

Douglas was an important figure in Illinois long before Lincoln rose to national prominence, serving as secretary of state and as an Illinois Supreme Court justice. As a judge, Douglas helped Mormon leader Joseph Smith avoid extradition to Missouri on criminal charges.

The Joseph Smith habeas corpus case is the focus of several events sponsored this fall by the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission. On Sept. 24, a mock trial in Springfield will use respected attorneys and actors to re-create the extradition proceedings against Smith. A similar trial is scheduled for Oct. 14 in Chicago. In addition, a re-enactment of historical Mormon life in Nauvoo will be presented Sept. 23.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum tells the Lincoln story through a mixture of scholarship, traditional exhibits and state-of-the-art technology. Located at 212 N. Sixth St. in Springfield, the museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

For more information, visit www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.

[Text from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]