How The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Of 1858
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of three-hour debates between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln held throughout Illinois. Lincoln, a Republican, and Douglas, a Democrat, were competing for a seat in Senate.
These debates were largely inspired by the current issue of slavery, for the nation was facing disunion over the rights of slaves and the rights of states. Another reason for the debates was the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed slavery north of the 36° 30’ latitude that was previously restricted in the Missouri Compromise. The question concerning slavery in territories arose and the differing opinions of the states caused contention.
Lincoln stated several times
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He said that if a territory did not adopt the slave codes that protected the master’s property, slaves would not be brought into that territory. Douglas’ idea became known as the Freeport Doctrine.
Lincoln further expanded on the subject by stating his belief that negroes had the same rights listed in the Declaration of Independence as whites. He also continued to touch on the fact that slavery had never united the country, but had always been the issue that divided it. Douglas argument against this was that the country had always been divided by slavery since it existed because what was best for one part of the country may not be best for the other.
Throughout the debates, support of both Lincoln and Douglas fluctuated. however Douglas was elected senator at that time. Two years later, during the presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was able to defeat Stephen Douglas and become president of the United States by utilizing the information acquired from the debates. The issue of slavery discussed during the debates continued to divide the nation, but a new viewpoint on this issue was now introduced. Ultimately, the Lincoln-Douglas debates challenged the disunion of the nation over slavery and encouraged the country to accept the idea that a nation divided against itself cannot
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