Campaign Song Book, "Ye Little Giant"

In the 1850s, Illinois politician Stephen A. Douglas went by the nickname “the Little Giant,” because of his incredible influence despite his small stature. Douglas most famously supported the ideology called “Popular Sovereignty,” which held that the conflict over slavery could be solved, on-the-ground, by local voters who could decide whether to allow or ban slavery in their communities. This view was popular among northern Democrats – often symbolized by the donkey – that ran Douglas as a presidential candidate in 1860. Douglas’ defeat in that election by Abraham Lincoln, and subsequent death a few months later, put an end to the life of “popular sovereignty” as a possible solution to the growing conflict over slavery.