Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Definition

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven public confrontations between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their 1858 campaign for an Illinois Senate seat that focused on slavery issues.

Related terms

Popular Sovereignty: A doctrine asserting that people should have right to rule themselves; this idea was often applied to decision-making about whether new territories would allow slavery.

Freeport Doctrine: A statement made by Stephen Douglas during one of the debates that despite Dred Scott decision, residents of a territory could still ban slavery by refusing to pass laws supporting it.

Dred Scott Decision: An 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not U.S. citizens and Congress couldn't regulate slavery in territories.