Lincoln-Douglas Debate Essay examples

A major difference between Lincoln and Douglass were their views on the Constitution. Douglass changed his views about the Constitution; at one point he believed it was a proslavery document and then he changed his opinion to believe it was an anti-slavery document. Lincoln never changed his opinions about the Constitution. “Lincoln saw the Constitution as neither a clarion call to abolition on a proslavery scandal. It was a compromise. It recognized slavery, but only out of necessity and only three times”. (Ibid., p.63) Lincoln believed in the founding fathers and believed that they had envisioned and end to slavery in the future of the then-fledgling United States. He also believed they had to make concessions to allow for the formation of the Union. “Unlike Frederick Douglass, Lincoln did not claim those concessions had not been made. He accepted them, but that didn’t mean he liked them.” (Ibid., p 63)

When Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first republican president, he only received 40% of the popular votes; he also beat three other candidates on top of that. Lincoln was responsible for a lot of changes and is also known as an icon in American History. Lincoln was a Kentucky-born lawyer and a former Whig Representative to the Congress. Lincoln was going up against Stephen Douglas in the Senate race; Douglas argued that the states should have a right to be a slave state or a free state, while Lincoln argued against slavery and the spread of it. Unsurprisingly, Lincoln had lost the Senate race, but his campaign against slavery brought national attention to the Republican Party, in 1860, Lincoln had won the Republican party’s nomination

Abraham Lincoln, is a Kentucky made legitimate counsel and past Whig agent to Congress, he at first amplified national stature in the midst of his campaign against Stephen Douglas of Illinois for a U.S. Senate seat in 1858. The senatorial fight highlighted a shocking methodology of open encounters on the misuse issue, known as the Lincoln-Douglas reviews, in which Lincoln fought against the spread of subjection, while Douglas kept up that each area should have the point of preference to pick whether for no good reason to be free or

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were one of the most significant events in American political history. It led to high tensions between the North and the South and it ended up being one of the main causes of the civil war. The Lincoln–Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. Lincoln first challenged Douglas to the debates in 1858. It consisted of seven, three hour public debates in total. Both republican and democratic citizens from all over the country came to watch the fascinating discussion between the two. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in the prominent Lincoln-Douglas Debates during the election of 1860, for the public debates led to high controversy between Northerners and Southerners.

“’One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought to be restricted. That,’ he said with a touch of irony, ‘is the only substantial dispute’” (Oakes 140). People bickered whether or not Lincoln was doing the right thing by signing the Emancipation

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were the Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. Their debates are admittedly the most famous political debates in American history. The biggest topic of debate during this time was slavery, therefore Lincoln and Douglas not only differed in their views on slavery, but also attempted to discredit the other candidate’s views by bringing up past speeches. Slavery was not the only topic during these debates, there were also debates on equality and state power over slavery.

During the Civil War era, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas were two figures that changed America forever. They became two of the most influential people of their time. Through their powerful and motivating speeches, they were able to change the minds of Americans and help to improve society and the welfare of the people. Douglas fought for black civil rights through compelling speeches, while Lincoln spoke more calmly and peacefully for unity with the Confederate states. Both men had very different goals but had the same motivation to achieve a better America for all.

In 1858 the Republican party of Illinois nominated Abraham Lincoln to be their candidate for the United States Senate. Lincoln accepted the nomination by giving what would become arguably the most famous acceptance speech for any office in this nation's history, the House Divided Speech. Between August 21 and October 15 the two candidates, Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, engaged in a series of seven debates outlining their positions on slavery, equal rights, and the role of national government.

In 1858, an Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln and the current Illinois senator named Stephan Douglas engaged in a series of debates about the slavery issue and its extension into the new territories.

"Douglas basically explained in the Freeport Doctrine his belief that the people in a new territory be able to decide whether or not they would allow slavery."(What Were the Results of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?) The Freeport Doctrine was the subject Douglas spoke about. It made people uneasy."Lincoln argued that while he wanted to end the extension of slavery into US territories"(What Were the Results of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?) It was important, and a historical debate time. As Lincoln spoke his famous quotes a nation cannot stand as a divided nation, and everyone had rights through the Declaration Of Independence.The problem also was extension to the different territories for slavery. The Debates were not to fix slavery, but to talk about what would make it better. What laws could change it, or stopping slavery from happening in many other

On June 16, 1858, the start of Illinois's greatest political contests took place, otherwise known as the race for the U.S. Senate between Democratic Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln. That same night, Lincoln launched his campaign by saying that the United States could not survive for long with such a deep gulf between the North and South. He said either the opponents of slavery will stop the spread of it, or the advocates will push it forward until it is a law in all of the states. As the campaign progressed, Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of seven open-air debated to be held through Illinois on the issue of slavery in the territories. Douglas believed deeply in allowing the residents of a territory to vote for or against

B must be correct because as stated in the book America: A Narrative History Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election. The debates between Lincoln and Douglas helped Lincoln get exposure and made him the obvious opponent to Stephen A. Douglas.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 was a very influential event that occurred in American history and has much significance, even till this day. The debates were in contest for the United States Senate seat in Illinois. The main topic involved in the debates was based around slavery and the separation of the union because of it. Both Lincoln and Douglas refer to the U.S. Constitution in their remarks and state different opinions surrounding what they interpret the meaning of certain parts regarding slavery to be.

During the 1850’s, there were many important events such as the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the gold rush. A key event that occurred in this time frame was the Lincoln-Douglass debates, which occurred during the end of 1858.

Stephen A. Douglas was born in 1813. He was born in Vermont, he studied law in New York, and in 1833 he moved to Illinois where he would become a resident and be part of major changes in history there. This state is where Douglas really found his home. Douglas was a politician in the United States, a Democratic Party leader and an orator. Andrew Jackson influenced Douglas greatly, and Jackson really grabbed Douglas’s attention and interest. Douglas ended up building his career as a Jacksonian. He helped to organize the Democratic Party in Illinois. In this state, he introduced party committees and nominating conventions. He also pushed for party discipline and party consistency. He was very popular, especially with the local farmers. Many people that he was popular with had actually migrated from the South. Although Stephen A. Douglas was Abraham Lincoln’s opponent in many debates, Douglas was still very popular and was actually re-elected senator of Illinois. But, Lincoln did end up beating Douglas in the presidential election just two years after Douglas had been reelected as senator. Despite the presidential defeat, Douglas was still able to use his popularity to his advantage, and this is what helped him to develop a well-established Democratic organization.