Lincoln-Douglas Debates: House-divided speech; Freeport Doctrine (aug 21, 1858 – oct 12, 1858)
Description:
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were the debates held between Democrat Stephen Douglas, and moderate Republican Abraham Lincoln in competition for the Illinois senate seat. Most famously, in his “house-divided speech”, Lincoln stated “This government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free”, and spoke of slavery as a moral issue, attacking Douglas on his indifference toward it. A debate was held in Freeport, Illinois where Lincoln challenged Douglas to reconcile popular sovereignty with the Dred Scott decision. Douglas’s response, known as the Freeport Doctrine, was that slavery could not exist in a community if the local citizens did not pass laws maintaining it. These debates allowed Lincoln to become a nationally recognized figure.Added to timeline:
Date:
aug 21, 1858
oct 12, 1858
~ 1 months and 22 days