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In 1858, former US representative Abraham Lincoln (then little-known outside of Illinois) ran for a US Senate seat against the Democratic incumbent, Stephen A. Douglas. They held 7 scheduled debates, one in each of the districts in which neither had already campaigned. These were held between August 21 and October 15, 1858. The response by the public was arguably meaningless, since (at that time) the Illinois legislature elected the state's senators. (This was changed by the 17th amendment in 1913.)
Lincoln, the Republican candidate, lost the election but his arguments were well-received by the audiences. He collected the transcribed texts into a book, which also became popular, leading to his nomination for President in 1860.
Rahul Ledner
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∙ 8y agoWiki User
∙ 9y agoThe main focus of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was slavery. They debated about the right of Northern states to adopt slavery.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoTo establish whether slavery could be banned in any state after the Supreme Court's verdict that slavery was legal throughout the USA, according to their reading of the Constitution.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoBecause of doubts about the legality of banning slavery in any state, following the surprise decision of the Supreme Court, declaring that slavery was protected by the Constitution.
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∙ 11y agoyeaa thats it
Anonymous
The extension of slavery.
Anonymous
The extension of slavery
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What office were Lincoln and Douglas running for when they debated?
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for Senate in Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. Although Lincoln was a candidate for the Senate in Illinois, the debates were not directly related to an election of office. At the time, Illinois' Senators were elected by the Illinois Legislators, so the purpose of the debates was to represent their parties (Lincoln for the Republicans and Douglas for the Democrats) in a bid to win control of the Illinois Legislature. The main issue discussed in all seven debates was slavery.
Which document made freeing the slaves a main focus of the war?
Emancipation proclamation
Which constitutional principle was the main focus of the North-South conflicts that led to the Civil War?
States' rights
What appeared to be the main focus of the union strategy in the east?
The main goal of the Union army in the east was to not be defeated by the Confederacy. This was the main goal of the entire Union Army from 1861 to 1864.
Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858- what was the position of slavery?
That's what the debates were about - was slavery protected by the Constitution? If so, how could the new states vote to be free soil?
Which of the following crucial issues was not addressed in the LincolnDouglas debates?
JOHN BROWN'S RAID ! - apex
What did Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate about in the LincolnDouglas debates?
Abraham Lincoln wanted to run for the Senate so that he could make laws to stop slavery in America.
How To Do Debates?
what are the main features of debates
What was the focus of the ratifation debates in each state?
whether to accept or reject the constitution.
What was the main issue underlying the hayne-webster debates?
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What was the main. Issue in the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
slavery in the territories
What was the main topic of the Lincoln Douglass debates?
The extension of slavery
What was Sparta's main focus?
Sparta's main focus was Military.
What is the main focus of What is your story?
The main focus of a story is what the story is about. This is from to start to the end.
What was the focus of the ratification debates in each state?
whether to accept or reject the constitution.
What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
The main ISSUE of the DEBATE was whether slavery be allowed to expand to new territories. The REASON the debates were held was for a seat in the Illinois Senate.
Who ran for the senate against Stephen Douglas and had a series of debates about slaver?
Abraham Lincoln ran for the senate against Stephen Douglas. They engaged in a series of debates known as the Lincoln-Douglas debates, where they discussed various issues, with a primary focus on slavery. These debates helped elevate Lincoln's political profile and contributed to his eventual presidency.
