The Stephen A. Douglas Symposium Committee invites paper and/or presentation proposals for the third biennial Stephen A. Douglas History Symposium to be held March 29, 2003, in Decatur, Illinois. Proposals should examine individuals, institutions, social customs, politics, settlement, railroads and other transportation, religion, immigration, agriculture, technology, science, gender studies, ethnicity, work, family, or museum and historic site interpretations of these 19th Century topics. The committee particularly welcomes topics related to Douglas, his life and times, issues associated with him, and proposals involving 19th Century Illinois or the region known in Douglas' time as "The West" now known as the Midwest.

Proposals should include a brief abstract of the paper or presentation and a vita for presenter(s). Proposals will be accepted in paper form by mail or electronically in Microsoft Word or Publisher formats. The deadline for proposals is November 30, 2002.