Looking back at Lincoln's rival, the 'Little Giant'
Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum opens exhibit marking bicentennial
of Stephen Douglas
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[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.
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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.
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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] |