Douglas Moves to Illinois at the Age of 20
“I have become a Western man, have imbibed Western feelings principles and interests and have selected Illinois as the favorite place of my adoption.”
— Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas was twenty years old in 1833 when he left his native Vermont for the frontier state of Illlinois, where he arrived penniless and without friends. Within a year Douglas began practicing law in Morgan County. The young lawyer was a zealous admirer of Andrew Jackson, and his defense of Jackson earned him the nickname "The Little Giant."
Douglas settled in Illinois at the age of 20. There he quickly established himself as a leader in the Democratic Party, first in the House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate. Before his death in 1861, what did the "Little Giant" accomplish in government?
