APUSH REVIEW: THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES (1858) Everything You Need To Know About The Lincoln-Douglas Debates To Succeed In APUSH

Key Events Prior to 1858  Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and “Bleeding Kansas”  KS-NB Act proposed by Douglas  Dred Scott Decision (1857)  Dred Scott, a slave, sued for freedom since he lived in a free territory  Supreme Court ruled that: Scott was not a citizen, could not sue Slaves were property Property could not be taken away (violation of 5 th amendment) “nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”

The Debates  Lincoln was chosen by the Republicans to challenge Douglas for the Senate seat  Upon accepting the nomination, Lincoln gave his “House divided” speech  Lincoln Challenges Douglas to a series of 7 debates  Remember, at that time, the state legislatures elected US senators  Changes with the 17 th Amendment in 1913 “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.”

Freeport Doctrine  The second debate occurred in Freeport, IL  Lincoln asked Douglas if slavery could be limited in spite of the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott ruling  Douglas, an advocate of popular sovereignty said yes  In essence, Douglas said territories and states can pass laws that defy the federal government “I answer emphatically, as Mr. Lincoln has heard me answer a hundred times from every stump in Illinois, that in my opinion the people of a Territory can, by lawful means, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State constitution.”

The Results and Effects  Douglas wins the election  The Democratic Party is further split along sectional lines  South distrusts Douglas  Even though he lost, Lincoln becomes well-known nationally

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