Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Definition

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates held in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, the two candidates for the Illinois seat in the United States Senate. These debates centered around the key issues of slavery and its expansion, and they played a significant role in shaping the political landscape leading up to the American Civil War.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates held in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, the two candidates for the Illinois seat in the United States Senate.
2. The debates centered around the key issue of slavery and its expansion, with Lincoln arguing against the expansion of slavery and Douglas supporting the doctrine of 'popular sovereignty' which allowed settlers in new territories to decide the issue for themselves.
3. The debates brought national attention to Lincoln and helped establish him as a leading voice against the expansion of slavery, setting the stage for his eventual election as the 16th President of the United States.
4. The debates highlighted the growing divide between the North and South over the issue of slavery, and foreshadowed the outbreak of the American Civil War just a few years later.
5. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates are considered a landmark event in American political history, and they have been the subject of extensive historical analysis and scholarship.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Lincoln-Douglas Debates were connected to the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
  • The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a direct response to the political tensions and debates surrounding the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Compromise of 1850 had attempted to maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states, while the Kansas-Nebraska Act had repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed settlers in new territories to determine the status of slavery. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates centered around the issue of slavery and its expansion, with Lincoln arguing against the expansion of slavery and Douglas supporting the doctrine of 'popular sovereignty.' The debates highlighted the growing divide between the North and South over the issue of slavery, and foreshadowed the outbreak of the American Civil War.
• Analyze how the Lincoln-Douglas Debates were connected to the Dred Scott Decision and the growing sectional strife in the United States.
  • The Lincoln-Douglas Debates took place in the context of the Dred Scott Decision, which had ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories. This decision further inflamed tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery and its expansion. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a direct response to this decision, with Lincoln arguing against the expansion of slavery and Douglas supporting the doctrine of 'popular sovereignty.' The debates highlighted the growing divide between the two regions and foreshadowed the outbreak of the American Civil War, as the nation struggled to reconcile the conflicting views on the issue of slavery.
• Evaluate the long-term impact of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates on the political landscape of the United States and the eventual outbreak of the American Civil War.
  • The Lincoln-Douglas Debates had a profound and lasting impact on the political landscape of the United States. The debates brought national attention to Abraham Lincoln and helped establish him as a leading voice against the expansion of slavery, setting the stage for his eventual election as the 16th President of the United States. The debates also highlighted the growing divide between the North and South over the issue of slavery, and foreshadowed the outbreak of the American Civil War just a few years later. The debates were a critical moment in the nation's history, as the country struggled to reconcile the conflicting views on the issue of slavery. The long-term impact of the debates was the further polarization of the country, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the Civil War and the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.

Related terms

Compromise of 1850: A series of legislative measures passed by the United States Congress in 1850 that addressed the issue of the expansion of slavery and helped maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act: A law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1854 that repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed settlers in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to determine whether they would allow slavery within their borders.

Dred Scott Decision: A landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 that ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories.