Lincoln–Douglas debate #1
08/21/1858 AD debated
The Lincoln–Douglas debates (also known as The Great Debates of 1858) were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate.
Until the 17th Constitutional Amendment of 1913, senators were elected by their respective state legislatures, so Lincoln and Douglas were trying to win control of the Illinois General Assembly for their respective parties.
Lincoln said at Ottawa:
I hate [indifference to slavery] because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world-enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites-causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty-criticizing the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self-interest.
Lattitude: 41.3533° N
Longitude: 88.8308° W
Region: North America
Modern Day United States
Subjects Who or What debated?
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Stephen A. Douglas US Senator from Il...
Objects To Whom or What was debated?
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Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the Un...
Events in 1858 MORE
