Lincoln-Douglas Debate

The Lincoln vs. Douglass debates were a source of much entertainment and thought during a very troubling time in this nation. There were originally to be nine debates held in nine separate congressional districts, however the two agreed to conduct only seven “joint appearances” due to both of their recent individual appearances in two of the districts. These two districts being Springfield and Chicago. Each debate was divided into speaking times. One candidate would speak for an hour, then the other for 90 minutes. Then the original candidate would speak for a 30 minute rebuttal.

Abraham Lincoln’s greatest challenge during his presidency was preserving the Union during the Civil War after the Southern states seceded from the Union. There were many dividing issues in the U.S. before his election in 1860, and his presidential victory was the final straw that led to the Civil War. The North and the South were already separating due to regional differences, socially, politically, culturally, and economically. Slavery was one of the biggest factors that led to the division between the North and the South. Preserving the Union while half of the country refused to regard federal law while in secession was extremely challenging, yet Abraham Lincoln decided to fight war against the South not only for the sake of abolishing slavery, but most importantly for the sake of preserving the Union. He was dedicated to fighting for the equality of all men in the U.S., as mentioned in his famous Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." He used this to argue a basic point: if all men are created equal, then all men are free. His House Divided speech showed his determination to keep the...

Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 was a very influential event that occurred in American history and has much significance, even till this day. The debates were in contest for the United States Senate seat in Illinois. The main topic involved in the debates was based around slavery and the separation of the union because of it. Both Lincoln and Douglas refer to the U.S. Constitution in their remarks and state different opinions surrounding what they interpret the meaning of certain parts regarding slavery to be.

President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in March of 1861. He hopped into the presidency at a very rough time for the Unites States. Slavery was the main cause and this turned over to states succeeding from the union. When Lincoln was fighting for presidency he promised the republican party many things and even agreed against the complete abolition of slavery. However, the war was not an easy fight and Lincoln changed his decisions and views along the way about slavery. He started with freeing the slaves and relocating them back to Africa, then used abolition as a threat to the south and then finally came to the realization that all men should be free regardless of color. It took major turning points in the war for this to occur but it happened

The topic for the second paper is: Compare and Contrast Lincoln and Douglas on the Issue of the House Divided. Highly recommended that you read the two articles by Jaffa posted in the "Content" section.

Abraham Lincoln was an important figure who rose from being an uneducated man, to becoming the 16th president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln is also known for his determination towards ending slavery. One of Abraham Lincoln’s political accomplishments was issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Before his presidency, Lincoln was not that knowledgeable about the military because he never really had a proper education when he was small. However, Lincoln’s entire presidency basically took place during the war.

Abraham Lincoln was a known historical figure of his time. He was born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky. He became the 16th president of the United States in 1861. Abraham was known for accomplishing many goals such as; issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and speeches such as the Inaugural Address. Not only was Abraham Lincoln a leader of his time but, he also saved many lives during his presidential terms (Friedel and Sidey).

Abraham Lincoln was vital to the outcome of the Civil War. Lincoln was born in 1809. Lincoln’s whole family were opposed to slavery considering it cruel and evil. Lincoln’s mother died when he was young. Even though his family were poor, Lincoln had a strong a memorable childhood. Lincoln loved to learn and read, and soon became extremely intelligent. As he physically grew, he also grew in character and soon became a fine young man. Following a friend’s advice, Lincoln decided to run for state office. Even though he lost the election, he learned many things about the country he loved, and in 1861 Abraham Lincoln became one of the most famous presidents of the United States of America.

Abraham Lincoln is by far our most revered president in the history of the United States. He had a strong moral vision of where his country must go to preserve and enlarge the rights of all her people, but he was also a good man with a strong sense of character and a great discipline in the art of law; and he sought to continue the great and mighty legacy of the Constitution. He believed that the Founding Fathers had drawn up the Constitution without the mention of slavery because they felt that it would later die of a natural death. He would soon learn that that would not be the case.