Lincoln and Douglas Debates
The Lincoln and Douglas debates of 1858 were seven debates between Abraham Lincoln who was a republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois. Stephen Douglas who was a senator in the Democratic Party candidate. During the time United State Senators were elected by state legislatures. They were trying to win control of the Illinois legislature. They decided to hold one debate in each of the nine congressional districts of Illinois.
The first debate was in Ottawa Illinois. Douglas charged Lincoln with trying to abolitionize the Whig and Democratic Parties. He also charged Lincoln had been present when a very radical abolitionist type platform had been written by the Republican Party in 1854. Douglas …show more content…
Abraham Lincoln was campaigning to take Douglas U.S Senate seat by strongly opposing all attempts to expand the geographic area in which slavery was practiced. Lincoln tried to force Douglas to choose between the principles of popular sovereignty proposed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. That left the fate of slavery in a United States territory up its inhabitants. Since Douglas professed great respect for Supreme Court decisions, and accused the Republicans of disrespecting the court, yet this aspect of the Dred Scott decision was contrary to Douglas views and politically unpopular in Illinois. Instead of making a a direct choice, Douglas response stated the despite the court’s ruling, slavery could be prevented from any territory by the refusal of the people living in that territory to pass laws favorable to slavery. Even if the people of the territory supported slavery, legislation would provide for its continued …show more content…
In the results of the debates the October surprise of the election was the endorsement of the Democrat Douglas. Former Whigs comprised the biggest block of swing voters, and Crittenden’s endorsement of Douglas rather than Lincoln, also a former Whig, it reduced Lincoln’s chance of winning. On Election Day, the Democrats won 40 seats in the state House of Representatives, and the republicans won 35. In the state senate, Republicans held 11 seats, and Democrats held 14. Douglas was reelected by the legislature, 54-46, even though Abraham Lincoln won the popular vote with a percentage of 50 percent. The widespread media coverage of the debates greatly raised Lincoln’s national profile, making him a viable candidate for nomination as the Republican candidate in the upcoming 1860 presidential election. He would go on to secure both the nomination and the presidency, beating Douglas among others, in the process. Lincoln also went on to be in contact with editors looking to publish the debate texts. George Parsons, the Ohio Republican committee chairman, got Lincoln in touch with Ohio’s main political publisher, Follett and Foster of Columbus. They published copies of the text and made the book Political Debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in the celebrated campaign of 1858, in Illinois. Four printings were made, and the fourth sold many copies of
The Lincoln and Douglas debates of 1858 were seven debates between Abraham Lincoln who was a republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois. Stephen Douglas who was a senator in the Democratic Party candidate. During the time United State Senators were elected by state legislatures. They were trying to win control of the Illinois legislature. They decided to hold one debate in each of the nine congressional districts of Illinois.
The first debate was in Ottawa Illinois. Douglas charged Lincoln with trying to abolitionize the Whig and Democratic Parties. He also charged Lincoln had been present when a very radical abolitionist type platform had been written by the Republican Party in 1854. Douglas …show more content…
Abraham Lincoln was campaigning to take Douglas U.S Senate seat by strongly opposing all attempts to expand the geographic area in which slavery was practiced. Lincoln tried to force Douglas to choose between the principles of popular sovereignty proposed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. That left the fate of slavery in a United States territory up its inhabitants. Since Douglas professed great respect for Supreme Court decisions, and accused the Republicans of disrespecting the court, yet this aspect of the Dred Scott decision was contrary to Douglas views and politically unpopular in Illinois. Instead of making a a direct choice, Douglas response stated the despite the court’s ruling, slavery could be prevented from any territory by the refusal of the people living in that territory to pass laws favorable to slavery. Even if the people of the territory supported slavery, legislation would provide for its continued …show more content…
In the results of the debates the October surprise of the election was the endorsement of the Democrat Douglas. Former Whigs comprised the biggest block of swing voters, and Crittenden’s endorsement of Douglas rather than Lincoln, also a former Whig, it reduced Lincoln’s chance of winning. On Election Day, the Democrats won 40 seats in the state House of Representatives, and the republicans won 35. In the state senate, Republicans held 11 seats, and Democrats held 14. Douglas was reelected by the legislature, 54-46, even though Abraham Lincoln won the popular vote with a percentage of 50 percent. The widespread media coverage of the debates greatly raised Lincoln’s national profile, making him a viable candidate for nomination as the Republican candidate in the upcoming 1860 presidential election. He would go on to secure both the nomination and the presidency, beating Douglas among others, in the process. Lincoln also went on to be in contact with editors looking to publish the debate texts. George Parsons, the Ohio Republican committee chairman, got Lincoln in touch with Ohio’s main political publisher, Follett and Foster of Columbus. They published copies of the text and made the book Political Debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in the celebrated campaign of 1858, in Illinois. Four printings were made, and the fourth sold many copies of