1. Lincoln-Douglas Debates, John Brown’s Raid

2. The Republican Party By the mid 1850’s, people who opposed slavery wanted a new political voice. No party would undertake the issue of slavery. A group of Free-Soilers, northern Democrats, and antislavery Whigs gathered in 1854 and formed the Republican Party. –Main goal was to keep slavery out of the western territories.

3. Election of 1856 Republicans – John C. Fremont (opposed spread of slavery) Democrats – James Buchanan (from PA but had Southern principles) “Know-Nothing”- Millard Fillmore (former President who feared Republicans would split the nation apart) Buchanan won but the Republicans had a strong showing of the popular vote.

4. Race for Illinois Senate Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer from Illinois, was not well known when he challenged Stephen Douglas for the Senate seat. Lincoln-Douglas Debates - Lincoln challenged Douglas in 7 debates at railroad stops in Illinois. –Biggest issue at the debates was slavery

5. Locations of the Debates

6. Lincoln-Douglas Debates Both men were great public speakers and both disliked slavery. –However, Douglas supported popular sovereignty while Lincoln believed slavery should be stopped in the west ONLY –Each debate discussed other issues as well (Dred Scott, Kansas-Nebraska Act, etc.) Newspapers printed the speeches. In the end, Douglas won the election by a slim margin. Two years later, they would meet in the presidential election.

7. Quotes by Abraham Lincoln “A house divided against itself cannot stand. 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 of one thing, or all the other.” – Abraham Lincoln, Speech, June 16, 1858

8. More Quotes “There is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights listed in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…In the right to eat the bread, without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man.” – Abraham Lincoln, Speech at Ottawa, Illinois, August 21, 1858 What might a Southerner say to this speech?

9. Stephen Douglas Quote “We have settled the slavery question as far as we are concerned; we have prohibited it in Illinois forever,…but when we settled for it ourselves, we exhausted all our power over that subject. We must leave each and every state to decide for itself the same question… Now, my friends, if we will only act conscientiously and rigidly upon this great principle of popular sovereignty, we will continue at peace, one with another. – Stephen Douglas, Speech at Ottawa, Illinois, August 21, 1858

10. John Brown’s Raid Led a band of abolitionists to Harper’s Ferry, VA. –Took over an arsenal (gun warehouse) there and encouraged slaves to come there for weapons and revolt. Stopped by Robert E. Lee and was tried for murder and treason – actions against one’s country. –Was found guilty and sentenced to death. Southerners were outraged but some northerners sung his praises.