The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven confrontational discussions in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, both candidates for the U.S. Senate from Illinois. Central to their debates was the issue of slavery's expansion into new territories. Lincoln argued against the spread of slavery, emphasizing moral concerns, while Douglas supported states' rights to decide the issue. These debates significantly raised Lincoln's national profile and highlighted deep divisions in America over slavery, setting the stage for the 1860 presidential election and the eventual Civil War.