Answer: For a century and a half, historians have debated whether Douglas opposed slavery, and whether he was a compromiser or a devotee of principles. In his "Freeport Doctrine" of 1858, he repeatedly said that he did not care.
Answer: Under the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the citizens of each territory would determine the status of slavery. Douglas argued that the Compromise of 1850 had already superseded the Missouri Compromise, and argued that the citizens of the territories should have the right to determine the status of slavery.
