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Chapter 60 Douglas The Divider

"You know in my opinion, President Douglas gets too much of a bad rep. People say that his actions were a direct cause of the Civil War, but in reality all the man tried to do was find a compromise on slavery and state's rights so that we wouldn't have a civil war in the first place. Not that I'm condoning slavery mind you, even if I am from Louisiana. It's just that if we had no civil war then its my firm belief that slavery would've ended by the end of the century anyways. Just look at Texas for example."- President Huey Long 1961
"Slavery is a tool of the devil and Stephen Douglas is his servant.!"- John Brown 1853
"I fear that if we sit back and do nothing now, then Kansas shall only be the precursor to an even greater calamity that awaits the United States."- Senator Abraham Lincoln 1854

In regards to opinions concerning President Stephen Douglas today, many Americans and historians on conflicted on whether to call the man one of the worst Presidents in history, or a decent one that was unfortunate enough to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man certainly did show promise in his congressional career as he was a major party leader, proponent of heavy modernization, and key compromiser behind several bills in the Webster administration. Had Douglas been President in the Era of Good Feelings or even the Jacksonian Era then he would've probably been regarded as one of the all-time greats in American history. Yet he had the misfortune to come at the height of the slavery debate and had to oversee the continued disunity and reaping of chaos in America. Many common people like to think of Douglas as a horrible President due to his actions that promoted the spread of slavery through popular sovereignty, an opinion highly popular among many African-Americans. Some, especially in the south, see Douglas as a champion of states rights and one of the first Presidents to actively move America into an industrial economy. Some historians criticize Douglas for being too much of a centrist and not taking an active side in order to bring a resolute solution to the slavery question. Others say that the road to the Civil War officially began with the Oregon Compromise and that Stephen Douglas was just one of the many paths that America took. Whatever the case, Stephen Douglas is a major case of an American President who has never before been so controversial yet so impactful upon American history.


Stephen Arnold Douglas, 12th President of the United States

Before discussing the problem of Slavery that had plagued Douglas' term, it is necessary to look at his domestic and foreign accomplishments outside of the leadup to the Civil War, for not everything in the Douglas administration had to due with the matter. When on the campaign trail in 1852, Douglas tried desperately to differentiate himself between his opponents on his domestic policies that would promote traditional Democrat ideology versus the actions of the Whigs who had just been in power for the last twelve years. Douglas advocated for a compromise line in his economic policies where while he would support the continued agrarian growth of the United States with federal subsidies and low taxes for the farmers, extensive efforts would also be made to continue the strengthening of America's current industrial power. Douglas's key solution to the idea of industry was simple, support the railroads. By building railroads Douglas explained that the whole of the United States of America could be connected from the Pacific to the Atlantic, increasing economic growth with the spread of interstate trade and the fast moving of raw materials to factories in the north and finished products to the south. While exports and imports could be quickly moved from ports to the interior of America. Douglas worked towards consolidating support from the south and the common class by dropping tax rates all across the board, including the upper-class in order to gain support and help the growth of large southern plantations. Alongside the future Kansas-Nebraska Act, the federal government encouraged the cheap selling of federal lands out west so that farmers east of the Mississippi with little lands left to cultivate could grow crops and livestock on acres of cheap prairie land. This policy would continue to be supported in various ways after the Civil War and would result in the Indian Wars of the last third of the century. The overall federal budget was also cut substantially so that the United States could pay off the war debts under the Harrison administration and the power of the federal government lessened so that it could return back to the states. The one area that Douglas did increase federal power was oversight of commerce and the national transportation system. In his contemporary days many Americans liked to call Douglas "The Conductor" due to his enthusiastic support for the railroads and development of the modern rail system. Which while it had been growing under Harrison and Webster, was given new powers under Douglas. Following the actions of his Texan neighbors, Douglas founded the Department of Transportation, a new federal department that would be given the responsibility of building roads, canals, and railroads. The first post of Secretary of Transportation was given to Franklin Pierce and under his watch spending on transportation infrastructure increased around 350% and led to millions of dollars being poured into the American economy due to growth of national trade. Railroad growth became so extensive that by 1860 there would be 35,000 miles of track within the United States. An unforeseen side effect of this policy was the Civil War where the North had used its extensive railroad infrastructure to quickly ship troops and supplies to the front line in a rapid manner alnogside the large quantities of its armies. Meanwhile the south also used its early rail system to send state regiments across the Confederacy and defend the borders with much success in the early stages of the war. Lastly, President Douglas sought to reverse the Whig policy on foreign trade and cut back tariffs on imports. While many Whigs and some early Republicans criticized this as a foolish move which would severely hurt American industry, it actually helped to grow it far more than under Harrison and Webster due to the large increase in trade and opening of new markets for many European countries that were still recovering from the effects of the Revolutions, or were in the midst of their own wars such as the Sardinian Heresy or Crimean War. Douglas was able to get all of this done under his administration thanks to the Democratic control of both the House and the Senate in 1853, a move that was done thanks to the Whigs implosion over Slavery and the gaining of many Whig defectors while the Republican Party was being created. This large domestic and legislative success has often been compared to some of Douglas' Democratic successor such as Presidents William Jennings Bryan or Huey Long. It is rather unfortunate in all aspects that the high American economic boom of the 1850's is often ignored in U.S History in favor of the Civil War buildup.

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Map of Rail Development in the United States by 1860

On the issue of foreign affairs, much of Douglas' Presidency is essentially a repeat of the actions of Webster. During the Crimean War, America was staunchly neutral as they saw Crimea as little more than a petty fight for territory in the middle east. Though during the war large private contributions were given to the Russian Empire along with official support in terms of supplies and gun sales, stemming from the large anti-Anglo sentiment of America after the Oregon War. One huge area of success was American-Texan-Quebecois relations with the laying of the foundation of the Transcontinental Railroad. In accordance with his rail policies, Douglas wanted to create a continental railroad that would span from the Atlantic to the Pacific and include trade with multiple nations in North America. Many early Imperialists and Young Americans also saw this as key of building up American influence in the Western hemisphere, with some dreaming of an extension of this policy to Latin America. Douglas also needed the Transcontinental Railroad with Texas most importantly since Pierce had submitted a report to the President saying that it could take decades until a full link to the ports of Boston, Seattle, and Vancouver would be achieved. What America needed most desperately was a railroad with Texas so that American goods could be sold in California to Asian nations in the Pacific. To solve the issue, Douglas invited both President Crockett of Texas and President Robert Nelson of Quebec to a conference in the city of St. Louis in 1855 to settle the issue. The St. Louis Conference was a huge success as both Presidents Crockett and Nelson were fundamental supporters of closer American relations and the idea of increased trade with railroads was very popular in their nations. The St. Louis agreement was drafted at the Conference and was a resolution that affirmed all three nations commitment to further ties in trade in North America and the development of a continental transport system to freely transport goods and people across borders. Key provisions of the agreement in relation to railroads were the goals of a building of a two railroads within Quebec based around the Maritimes and St. Laurence regions that would connect to New York and New England; while Texas and America would share a trans-national railroad stretching from California, across Arizona and the Rio Grande, to central Texas and the Louisiana border. The Agreement was passed unanimously in both Austin and Quebec City and work began immediately. The agreement also managed to pass in Washington with an overwhelming majority in the Senate thanks to the support of Davy Crockett who was still a very popular folk hero within America. Sadly work would not finish until 1867 due to the Mexican War and the Civil War stopping construction. Though by the end of the 19th century North America would be further united in trade than ever before. Outside of this landmark cooperation, relations with the rest of North America were quite tense at the time. William Walker's expeditions increased with attempts to gain control of Mexico and his successful takeover of Nicaragua ( which will be covered in full detail under Crockett's foreign policy) leading to increased animosity with Latin America over the United States apparent imperialism. Fortunately by 1857, Walker's attempts at filibusters failed with intervention from the Texan-Yucatan alliance, though his temporary success in Mexico had led to the near drop in Mexican-American relations, along with Mexico's movement towards the British camp. Cuba was still an issue as rebellions were beginning to grow on the island and southern congressmen increasingly vouched for annexation. Unfortunately for Douglas, a group of American ministers to Europe under the leadership of James Buchanan met in Ostend Belgium and created the Ostend Manifesto, a document stating reasons why America should annex Cuba and declare war on Spain if they did not reach a deal. The publish of this manifesto lead to severe backlash with Europe due to American's apparent hypocritical support of Democracy when they seeked to subjugate Cuba. Spain nearly declared war with the United States at several points in 1854, only backing out due to the fact that British support could not come with Crimea. In the end President Douglas had to disavow the document and seek to mend the expansion of slavery in the Bahamas and Kansas-Nebraska, leading to somewhat of a splinter in the Democratic party and support for Cuban Annexation to drop until the Spanish-American War. Outside of North America, the United States two key areas of interest were Liberia and East Asia. President Douglas promoted the extensive development and possible expansion of Liberia in order to appease the abolitionists and imperialists with the growth of a colony for freed slaves. An additional Marine Battalion was sent in 1854 and funding was poured in to map out the Area and to try and negotiate local chiefs to seed sovereignty over to the United States, while Liberia's economy began to develop with the extraction of lumber and rubber. Trade agreements with Pacific nations also began under Douglas with new agreements being reached with the European colonies. Japan was also opened up to America in the Perry expedition which was created in the aftermath of Britain's opening of Shogunate Japan with the Seymour expedition, the Japanese far more willing to trade with the Americans who held little power in the region unlike the British.

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Perry Expedition (Left) Rubber Plantation in Liberia (Right)

Of course paradise could not continue in Douglas' America without the issue of slavery popping up. What used to be a private moral dilemma erupted into a full blown national divide with the South seeking expansion according to states rights and the need to preserve their economy, while the North rejected it for moral reasons under the watch of many Evangelical Protestant ministers within the Northern states, in addition to materials that relayed the harsh conditions of slavery such as Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Oregon Compromise was already starting to show immense signs of failure with the virtual Northern ignorance of the Fugitive Slave law with escaped slaves being accepted as freedmen in arrival of the North. This system of escapism being supported by the growth of the Underground Railroad and the actions of many conductors such as Harriet Tubman. Abolitionist sentiment was growing rapidly in the North with Fredrick Douglas emerging as the first civil rights leader for the abolition of slaves, while the infamous John Brown lead violent attacks against slave owners in the name of God. The aforementioned Ostend Manifesto was just one of the many frustrations from southerners due to what seemed to be like a boxing and attack on slavery, southern lawmakers becoming even more increasingly frustrated with the soon to be addition of Minnesota to the Union. Even in Kansas where slavery was supposed to now be legal, attacks were frequently made with abolitionist settlers targeting slave settlers and vice versa. Many Americans expected the President just to solve the issue of slavery within his term, a monumentous task that very few back in the day could do. Personally Douglas was a centrist on the issue of slavery as his wife's family owned slaves whereas he grew up in a family without them and was largely indifferent to the practice. To President Douglas, it did not matter if slavery was legal or illegal, only that the will of the American people supported said action. This attitude was not entirely popular among the Democratic Party as they were staring to become split like the Democrats with the popular sovereignty supporters and those who wished for total expansion of slavery. Vice President Toombs could be said to be a great example of this divide as he regularly called Douglas out on this pragmatism and pleaded for Slavery to be preserved as an amendment or spread out to the rest of the Union. With the Oregon Compromise already looking to have died a few years after passing, Douglas saw it his mission to unite America and permanently solve the question of slavery once and for all, by letting the people decide. In his State of the Union Address for 1854, Douglas called for the issue of slavery to be permanently settled with the creation of a bill that would pass popular sovereignty throughout all the territories of the U.S, and let the territories residents upon statehood decide whether or not they could become a free state or a slave state. When the contents of the speech spread many Americans became polarized on the subject as Douglas' solution could go both ways. Either slavery could be passed throughout all of America thanks to popular support, or restriction of the practice in the South thanks to the North's greater numbers. In cooperation with Missouri Senator David Atchison, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was introduced in the U.S Senate as a bill that would formally allow slavery in all U.S territories. When the territory entered statehood, a referendum would be enacted with the territories inhabitants deciding whether or not to go the route of slavery or abolition. The result would then be included as an amendment to the new state constitution when added to the Union. The law would also split the current Kansas territory into the Nebraska territory and what would become the modern state of Kansas. Kansas would be decided in the bill to be the first one to implement popular sovereignty, abandoning the previous total support of slavery in the Oregon Compromise. Other parts of the bill included sections that would support the admission of Minnesota and the Bahamas to support the balance, and the nonpartisan clause supporting opening of lands for farms and railroads. When the act was introduced into congress there were large amounts of infighting in both parties over the status of its passing. The Southern Wing was in full support, the Northern Democrats split over the pragmatists and abolitionists, and the Northern Whigs entirely against it. Then Senator Abraham Lincoln led the charge among the Whigs in blocking the passing of the act in order to limit slavery to the south and to prevent chaos rising in the west due to mob rule over the issue of slavery. Unfortunately for the abolitionists and limiters of slavery, the Act was able to pass in both houses with a slim majority and was passed into law by Stephen Douglas on May 30th. The effects of the law were immediate as the Whigs became disbanded in a matter of weeks, 1/3rd drifting towards the Democrats while the rest supported the new Republican Party. Popular opinion in the nation was firmly split as half rejoiced while half cried out in agony. Though this would pale in comparison to the horrors of Bleeding Kansas.


Map of the Kansas-Nebraska split (Left) Political Cartoon of Douglas and Southern Senators forcing slavery down an abolitionists mouth (Right)

A/N: Huey Long is a former U.S President by 1961, not the acting President.