Stephen A. Douglas

Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician from Illinois and the designer of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. He was a U.S. representative, a U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1860 election, losing to Republican Abraham Lincoln. Douglas had previously defeated Lincoln in a Senate contest, noted for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. He was nicknamed the "Little Giant" because he was short in physical stature, but a forceful and dominant figure in politics.

Douglas was well known as a resourceful party leader, and an adroit, ready, skillful tactician in debate and passage of legislation. He was a champion of the Young America movement which sought to modernize politics and replace the agrarian and strict constructionist orthodoxies of the past. Douglas was a leading proponent of democracy, and believed in the principle of popular sovereignty: that the majority of citizens should decide contentious issues such as slavery and territorial expansion. As chairman of the Committee on Territories, Douglas dominated the Senate in the 1850s. He was largely responsible for the Compromise of 1850 that apparently settled slavery issues; however, in 1854 he reopened the slavery question with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which opened some previously prohibited territories to slavery under popular sovereignty. Opposition to this led to the formation of the Republican Party.

Stephen A. Smith

Stephen Anthony (A.) Smith (born October 14, 1967), more commonly known as Stephen A., is an American sports television personality, sports radio host, and sports journalist. Smith is a commentator on ESPN First Take, where he appears with Skip Bayless and Molly Qerim. He also makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst on SportsCenter. He also is an NBA analyst for ESPN on NBA Countdown and NBA broadcasts on ESPN. Smith formerly hosted The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN Radio New York 98.7 FM He now hosts "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on Christopher Russo's sports radio station: Mad Dog Sports Radio SiriusXM Radio, channel 82. and is a featured columnist for ESPNNY.com, ESPN.com, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Early years

Smith was born in New York City, New York on October 14, 1967. He was raised in the Hollis section of Queens. Smith is the second youngest of six children. He has four older sisters and a younger brother named Basil, who died in a car accident in October 1992. He also has a half brother on his father's side. Smith's parents were originally from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and his father managed a hardware store. Smith graduated from Thomas Edison High School in Queens.