The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858

Debates in the Illinois Senate Race Had National Significance

By Robert McNamara, About.com Guide

When Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met in a series of seven debates while running for a
Senate seat from Illinois they fiercely debated the critical issue of the day, slavery. The debates elevated
Lincoln's profile, helping to push him toward his run for president two years later, though Douglas would
actually win the 1858 Senate election.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates had national impact. The events of that summer and fall in Illinois were
covered widely by newspapers, whose stenographers recorded transcripts of the debates, which were
often published with days of each event.

Lincoln and Douglas Were Eternal Rivals

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were actually the culmination of a rival lasting nearly a quarter-century, as
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas had first encountered each other at the Illinois state legislature
in the mid-1830s. They were transplants to Illinois, young lawyers interested in politics yet opposites in
many ways.

Stephen A. Douglas rose quickly, becoming a powerful US Senator. Lincoln would serve a single
unsatisfying term in Congress before returning to Illinois in the late 1840s to concentrate on his legal
career.

Lincoln may never have returned to public life if not for Douglas and his involvement in the notorious
Kansas-Nebraska Act. Lincoln's opposition to the potential spread of slavery brought him back to politics.

June 16, 1858: Lincoln Delivers the "House Divided Speech"

Abraham Lincoln worked hard to secure the nomination of the young Republican Party to run for the
Senate seat held by Stephen A. Douglas in 1858. At the state nominating convention in Springfield, Illinois
in June 1858 Lincoln delivered a speech which became an American classic, but which was criticized by
some of Lincoln's own supporters at the time.

Invoking scripture, Lincoln made the famous pronouncement, "A house divided against itself cannot
stand."

July 1858: Lincoln Confronts and Challenges Douglas

Lincoln had been speaking out against Douglas since the passage of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Lacking an advance team, Lincoln would show up when Douglas would speak in Illinois, talking after him
and providing, as Lincoln put it, a "concluding speech."

Lincoln repeated the strategy in the 1858 campaign. On July 9, Douglas spoke on a hotel balcony in
Chicago, and Lincoln responded from the same perch the following night with a speech that received a
mention in the New York Times. Lincoln then began to follow Douglas about the state.

Sensing an opportunity, Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates. Douglas accepted, setting the
format and choosing seven dates and venues. Lincoln didn't quibble, and quickly accepted his terms.

August 21, 1858: First Debate, Ottawa, Illinois

According to the framework created by Douglas, there would be two debates in late August, two in mid-
September, and three in mid-October.
The first debate was held in the small town of Ottawa, which saw its population of 9,000 double as crowds
descended on the town the day before the debate.

Before a huge crowd assembled in a town park, Douglas spoke for an hour, attacking a startled Lincoln
with a series of pointed questions. According to the format, Lincoln then had an hour to respond, and then
Douglas had a half-hour to rebut.

Douglas engaged in race-baiting that would be shocking today, and Lincoln asserted that his opposition to
slavery did not mean he believed in total racial equality.

It was a shaky start for Lincoln.

August 27, 1858: Second Debate, Freeport, Illinois

Before the second debate, Lincoln called a meeting of advisers. They suggested he should be more
aggressive, with a friendly newspaper editor emphasizing that the wily Douglas was a "bold, brazen, lying
rascal."

Leading off the Freeport debate, Lincoln asked his own sharp questions of Douglas. One of them, which
became known as the "Freeport Question," inquired whether people in a US territory could prohibit slavery
before it became a state.

Lincoln's simple question caught Douglas in a dilemma. Douglas said he believed a new state could
prohibit slavery. That was a compromise position, a practical stance in the 1858 senate campaign. Yet it
alienated Douglas with southerners he would need in 1860 when he ran for president against Lincoln.

September 15, 1858: Third Debate, Jonesboro, Illinois

The initial September debate only drew about 1,500 spectators. And Douglas, leading off the session,
attacked Lincoln by claiming that his House Divided speech was inciting warfare with the south. Douglas
also claiming Lincoln was operating under the "black flag of Abolitionism," and went on at some length
asserting that blacks were an inferior race.

Lincoln kept his temper in check. He articulated his belief that the nation's founders had been opposed to
the spread of slavery into new territories, as they were anticipating "its ultimate extinction."

September 18, 1858: Fourth Debate, Charleston, Illinois

The second September debate drew a crowd of about 15,000 spectators in Charleston. A large banner
sarcastically proclaiming "Negro Equality" may have prompted Lincoln to begin by defending himself
against charges that he was in favor of mixed-race marriages.

This debate was noteworthy for Lincoln engaging in strained attempts at humor. He told a series of
awkward jokes pertaining to race to illustrate that his views were not the radical positions ascribed to him
by Douglas.

Douglas concentrated on defending himself against charges made against him by Lincoln supporters and
also boldly asserted that Lincoln was a close friend of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. At that point, the
two men had never met or communicated.

October 7, 1858: Fifth Debate, Galesburg, Illinois

The first October debate drew a large crowd of more than 15,000 spectators, many of whom had camped
in tents on the outskirts of Galesburg.

Douglas began by accusing Lincoln of inconsistency, claiming he had changed views on race and the
slavery question in different parts of Illinois. Lincoln responded that his anti-slavery views were consistent
and logical and were in line with the beliefs of the nation's founding fathers.
In his arguments, Lincoln assailed Douglas for being illogical. Because, according to Lincoln's reasoning,
the position Douglas held of allowing new states to legalize slavery only made sense if someone ignored
the fact that slavery is wrong. No one, Lincoln reasoned, could claim a logical right to commit wrong.

October 13, 1858: Sixth Debate, Quincy, Illinois

The second of the October debates was held at Quincy, on the Mississippi River in western Illinois.
Riverboats brought spectators from Hannibal, Missouri, and a crowd of nearly 15,000 assembled.

Lincoln again spoke of slavery as a great evil. Douglas railed against Lincoln, terming him a "Black
Republican" and accusing him of "double-dealing." He also claimed Lincoln was an abolitionist on a level
with William Lloyd Garrison or Frederick Douglass.

When Lincoln responded, he mocked accusations from Douglas "that I want a Negro wife."

It's worth noting that while the Lincoln-Douglas Debates are often lauded as examples of brilliant political
discourse, they often contained racial content that would be startling to a modern audience.

October 15, 1858: Seventh Debate, Alton, Illinois

Only about 5,000 people came to listen to the final debate, held at Alton, Illinois. This was the only debate
attended by Lincoln's wife and eldest son, Robert.

Douglas led off with his usual blistering attacks on Lincoln, his assertions of white superiority, and
arguments that each state had the right to decide the issue of slavery.

Lincoln drew laughter with humorous shots at Douglas and "his war" with the Buchanan administration. He
then slammed Douglas for supporting the Missouri Compromise before turning against it with the Kansas-
Nebraska Act. And he concluded by pointing out other contradictions in arguments put forth by Douglas.

Douglas concluded by attempting to tie Lincoln with "agitators" who were opposed to slavery.

November 1858: Douglas Wins, But Lincoln Gains a National Reputation

At that time there was not direct election of senators. State legislatures actually elected senators, so the
ballot results which mattered were the votes for the state legislature cast on November 2, 1858.

Lincoln later said that he knew by the evening of election day that the state legislature results were going
against the Republicans and he would thus lose the senatorial election which would follow.

Douglas did hold on to his seat in the US Senate. But Lincoln was elevated in stature, and was becoming
known outside Illinois. A year later he would be invited to New York City, where he would give his Cooper
Union Address, the speech that began his 1860 march toward the presidency.