Lincoln-Douglas Debates Facts & Worksheets

• The debates themselves were pre-planned, with the idea suggested as early as 1854. They provided a platform for Lincoln and Douglas to express their opposing views on slavery to a national audience. Before the debates, Lincoln accused Douglas of using fears of racial mixing to weaken the Republican Party, while Douglas labelled Lincoln an abolitionist.
• Lincoln further escalated tensions with his “House Divided” speech, where he accused Douglas of being part of a conspiracy to nationalise slavery. He argued that the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision were evidence of this conspiracy, and he warned that future court rulings could even lead to slavery in Illinois. These accusations framed the debates as a critical turning point for the nation.

Core Arguments of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Lincoln’s Position

• Moral opposition to slavery: Lincoln believed slavery was inherently wrong and violated the Declaration of Independence. He opposed its expansion, though he acknowledged the difficulty of abolishing it where it already existed.
• Against popular sovereignty: He criticised Douglas's concept of popular sovereignty. He believed it was the responsibility of the national government to stop the expansion of slavery.
• Emphasis on basic human rights: While not initially advocating for full racial equality, Lincoln emphasised the basic human rights of African Americans. He condemned slavery's dehumanising aspects as he believed that all people deserve the right to their labour and the opportunity for self-improvement.
• House Divided: He believed the nation could not endure permanently half-slave and half-free, famously stating, “A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Douglas’s Position

• Popular Sovereignty: He firmly believed in the concept of popular sovereignty, which held that residents of each territory should have the right to decide whether or not to allow slavery. He argued this was the most democratic approach, aligning with the Founding Fathers' vision of limited federal government and local control.
• Upholding the Law: Douglas emphasised the importance of upholding the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which denied citizenship and basic rights to African Americans. He argued that it was the law of the land and should be respected, even if one disagreed with it. 
• Painting Lincoln as a Radical: To weaken support for Lincoln, Douglas accused him of advocating for racial equality and social integration. He warned that Lincoln's views would lead to social unrest and conflict. He used racist views common at the time to make people think Lincoln was dangerous because he believed in equality for Black people.

Debate Locations and Key Themes

• Prior to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, both participants engaged in public discourse and written exchanges concerning the subject of slavery. The debates, held in seven different cities in Illinois in 1858, were a watershed moment in the national discussion of slavery, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.

• Ottawa (21 August)
  • The first Lincoln-Douglas debate in Ottawa, Illinois was a major event that drew a large crowd. It was here that the core differences between the two candidates on the issue of slavery were first laid out for the public to see.
  • Douglas, who had created the law that allowed for popular sovereignty, argued strongly in its favour. He believed this was the fairest way to handle the issue and that it was in line with the Founding Fathers’ idea of a government with limited powers.
  • Lincoln, however, disagreed. He argued that letting people vote on whether to allow slavery would just cause it to spread, and that the national government should step in and prevent that from happening.
  • The two men also debated the Compromise of 1850, a set of laws that tried to balance the interests of slave states and free states. Douglas claimed this compromise was an example of popular sovereignty working well, while Lincoln argued that it was actually quite different. 
  • The debate in Ottawa also featured some personal attacks. Douglas accused Lincoln and his party of wanting to abolish slavery completely, and he criticised Lincoln for disagreeing with the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which denied basic rights to African Americans. 
  • Lincoln countered by saying that the Dred Scott decision could lead to slavery spreading even into free states, and he criticised Douglas for not caring about the basic human rights of African Americans. While Lincoln was not yet calling for full equality for Black people, he did say that they deserved the right to work and earn their own living, just like anyone else. 
  • This first debate showed a clear difference in the ways Lincoln and Douglas thought about slavery. Lincoln felt that Douglas's unwillingness to condemn slavery meant he was actually helping it spread. He believed that public opinion was very important, and that Douglas, by not speaking out against slavery, was influencing people to accept it. This debate set the scene for the rest of the debate series.

• Freeport (27 August)
  • In the Freeport debate, Lincoln cleverly posed a question to Douglas that put him in a difficult spot: how could he support both popular sovereignty (letting territories decide on slavery) and the Dred Scott decision (which said the government couldn't exclude slavery)? This forced Douglas to choose between upsetting voters in Illinois who disliked slavery and upsetting Southern Democrats who supported it.
  • Douglas’s answer, known as the Freeport Doctrine, tried to please everyone. He said that while territories couldn't completely ban slavery, they could still keep it out by refusing to pass laws that protected enslavers. Basically, he was saying a territory could ignore the Dred Scott decision.
  • This strategy worked in the short term, helping Douglas win the election in Illinois. But in the long run, it caused him problems. Southern Democrats felt betrayed because they saw his answer as going against their pro-slavery beliefs. This led to arguments within the Democratic Party, which weakened them and helped Lincoln become president in 1860.

• Jonesboro (15 September)
  • The third debate in Jonesboro had a smaller audience than the others, but it was still important because of the arguments Lincoln and Douglas made. Douglas continued to say that Lincoln was a radical who wanted to abolish slavery, while Lincoln focused on the problems that would come with slavery expanding.
  • In his speech, Lincoln talked about the many arguments and fights that had happened in the country because of slavery. He mentioned the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the violence in Kansas. He said that these showed how expanding slavery could be dangerous for the country, and that the only way to solve the problem was to eventually end slavery altogether.
  • This argument was important for a few reasons. First, it showed that Douglas’s idea of letting people vote on slavery was not a peaceful solution, because it had already led to conflict. Second, it showed that Lincoln thought slavery was wrong and dangerous for the country. Third, it made Lincoln seem like the candidate who wanted to keep the country united, while Douglas seemed to be causing more division.

• Charleston (18 September)
  • At the Charleston debate, the topic of racial equality was front and centre. Even before it began, Democrats used a banner showing a white man, a Black woman, and a biracial child to stir up racist feelings in the crowd.
  • Lincoln started by addressing the accusations that he supported full equality for Black people. He stated clearly that he did not support them having the same social and political rights as white people, such as voting, serving on juries, holding office, or marrying white people.
  • He even said that he believed white people were superior. This might seem shocking today, but at the time, many white people were deeply racist, and Lincoln had to be careful not to alienate them if he wanted to win the election.
  • Douglas used Lincoln's statement to attack him, saying he was being two-faced. He brought up Lincoln's earlier statements about all people being created equal, and he tried to connect Lincoln to Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist who supported equal rights for Black people. Douglas was trying to make Lincoln look like an extremist who would upset the existing social order.
  • Lincoln responded by making it even clearer that he did not support Black people becoming citizens. This shows how complicated Lincoln's views on race were. He was against slavery and believed in basic human rights for everyone, but he also knew he couldn't say things that were too radical for the time.

• Galesburg (7 October)
  • At the centre of the Galesburg debate, held at Knox College, was the morality of slavery. Lincoln, speaking at a college founded by people opposed to slavery, used this opportunity to emphasise that slavery was unjust.
  • He criticised Douglas for not caring about the moral problems with slavery and accused him of ignoring the issue. This made many people in the audience see Lincoln as a candidate with a strong moral compass.
  • Douglas responded by defending his idea of letting people in each territory vote on whether to allow slavery. He said this was the most democratic way to handle the issue. He also stuck to his support for the Dred Scott decision saying that it was the law and had to be followed.
  • A key moment in the debate happened when Douglas tried to use Lincoln's own words against him. He brought up things Lincoln had said before about all people being created equal, and used these to claim that Lincoln was secretly an abolitionist. Douglas was trying to make Lincoln seem like an extremist to scare people away from supporting him.
  • Lincoln defended himself by saying that even though some of the Founding Fathers owned enslaved people, they also tried to limit the spread of slavery. He argued that the country couldn't continue to be divided on the issue of slavery, and that eventually, it would have to be allowed everywhere or nowhere.

• Quincy (13 October)
  • A major topic during the sixth debate in Quincy, Illinois, was the Dred Scott decision that ruled African Americans weren't citizens and didn't have basic rights. Lincoln criticised Douglas for fully supporting this decision, saying it could lead to slavery spreading even into states where it was already banned.
  • He felt this went against the core American ideas of freedom and equality. Douglas responded by saying that even if people didn't like the decision, it was the law and had to be followed. He accused Lincoln of disrespecting the courts.
  • The debate in Quincy also saw the two men continue to argue about popular sovereignty. Lincoln still thought this was a bad idea that would help slavery spread, while Douglas still defended that it was the most fair and democratic way to handle the issue.

• Alton (15 October)
  • The final debate in Alton, Illinois, was a big event where Lincoln and Douglas summarised their main arguments and made their last effort to win over voters.
  • Lincoln used this opportunity to clarify his views on racial equality, which had been a point of contention throughout the debates. He explained that while the Founding Fathers believed in equality for all, they didn't expect everyone to be equal in every way. 
  • He saw the Declaration of Independence as a goal to work towards, even if it was never fully achieved. He criticised those who opposed the idea of equality, and said that Douglas and Judge Chief Justice Taney, who was the majority opinion in the Dred Scott decision, were wrong to dehumanise Black people. He also criticised Douglas’s Freeport Doctrine by calling it weak and ineffective.

Aftermath of the Debates

• New technology, like trains and telegraphs, allowed people across the country to quickly learn what was said in the debates. This was a new kind of political event, where candidates could speak to the whole nation at once.
• Even though more people actually voted for Republicans in the state elections, the way the voting districts were set up favoured Douglas and his party, eventually winning him the Senate seat during the 1858 elections. Due to the amount of attention the debates received, Lincoln became a well-known figure throughout the country.
• The debates also caused problems for the Democratic Party. Douglas’s attempt to please both sides on the slavery issue with his Freeport Doctrine ended up making Southern Democrats angry. This disagreement within the party would ultimately help Lincoln win the presidency in 1860.
• Lincoln himself recognised how important the debates were, so he gathered the texts and published them as a book. This helped even more people learn about his ideas and contributed to his growing popularity.
• Today, the Lincoln-Douglas debates are still remembered as a key event in American history. The places where the debates happened have been marked with plaques and statues, and there's even a museum dedicated to them. There have also been reenactments of the debates on TV and radio. All of this shows how important these debates were in shaping the national conversation about slavery and the events that led to the Civil War.