Stephen Douglas: The Last Years, 1857-1861.

This study fills the need for a fresh and dispassionate look at Douglas and provides a fairer assessment than can be reached by simply endorsing contradictory views of apologists and critics. It places particular emphasis on the Little Giant's struggle with President James Buchanan, the debates with Lincoln, the presidential campaign of 1860, Douglas' complex relationship with the South, and a careful analysis of the elusive and at times exasperating principle of popular sovereignty.