Credit: aaihs.org
In 1858, during a US Senate race in the state of Illinois Stephen Douglas was continuing his path to the presidency by defending his seat against Abraham Lincoln. Douglas was a member of the Democratic Party and Lincoln, a Republican. Ironically, the main issues were slavery and race including the legitimacy of the Dred Scott decision and the spread of slavery into the newly acquired territories in the southwest. There were a series of seven debates that took place in the following cities: Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy, Alton; all between August and October of 1858. Which of them best defines Lincoln’s ideas about race and slavery?
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