Lincoln Douglas Debates free essay sample

However, after the debates Lincoln vaulted into the national spotlight continuing on to eventually win the Presidential election of 1860. NCO had originally proposed that he and Douglas engage in these debates, and discuss in depth the issues of the day including the issue of slavery as it related to the new territories Of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Texas, California and New Mexico.During the last debate, which was held in Alton Illinois on October 16, 1858 where some 6000 people gathered for the event in front of the city hall building, Lincoln continued to campaign on his anti-slavery platform while Douglas maintained that it was a states rights issue. Lincoln position was that the United States could not survive as a nation of half free and half slave states while Douglas maintained that Lincoln beliefs was a slander upon the mortal framers of our Constitution.Additionally Douglas believed that the government could exist with these divided values and it was the right of each state to determine whether or not they wished to allow slavery, and that they could regulate themselves accordingly however, the events in Kansas displayed some evidence to the contrary. We will write a custom essay sample on Lincoln Douglas Debates or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Douglas intentionally attacked Lincoln claiming that he opposed Dried Scott decision because it deprived blacks of their right of citizenship and accused Lincoln of desiring to bypass state laws that excluded blacks from free states.Lincoln and maintained that the Scott decision could allow slavery to spread into the free states and that Douglas ignored the basic humanity and rights of blacks. Although Lincoln was opposed to slavery because he believed that all men were created equal and that the framers of the Declaration of Independence intended to include all men regardless of the color of their skin or their social standing, he also realized that at that particular time that the complete abolition of slavery was impossible.Additionally, Lincoln believed that the expansion of slavery would put the union in jeopardy as he highlighted the controversies caused by it in Missouri in 1820 in Mexico in 1850 as well as the current unrest in Kansas. Lincoln believed that slavery needed to be treated as a decision of right and wrong otherwise it would continue to grow and infect the nation and become counterproductive to the original intent of the founding fathers in regards to freedom.Finally this particular document does hold some validity because during this time the new technology Of stenography was being put into practice and individuals from reporting agencies were present during the time of these debates. They were able to record the candidates speeches verbatim, and send them via telegraph another new technology for the time to their respective reporting agencies for dissemination to the general public. Lincoln Douglas Debates free essay sample Douglas simply did not want slavery in Illinois at all, in fact he did not want black people in Illinois at all, whether they were slave or free. Popular sovereignty was the safest way Douglas could Andre issue. While Douglas did not care about slavery much at all and supporting southern rights to have slaves, Lincoln showed that he was a true supporter of removing the evil of slavery from American society all together. Whether or not the black man had the same freedoms and rights as a white man was also another topic of discussion during the Lincoln-Douglas debates.Lincoln supported a black mans freedom and rights while Douglas had almost an opposite view. Lincoln policy freed blacks and gave them equality and such privileges as citizenship and the right to vote. Lincoln knew that redeem must prevail and that Americans had to revert back to the principles of their founding fathers who enumerated in the Declaration of Independence the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all. We will write a custom essay sample on Lincoln Douglas Debates or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Douglas vie; were very propellers.He pushed in the direction not allowing the black man to vote or allowing him equality to the standard of a white man. What Douglas says affirms this, If you desire to allow them to come into the State and settle with the white man, if you desire them to vote Then support Mr.. Lincoln and the Black Republican party. Douglas clearly sets myself apart from Lincoln and shows that he does not want black men in Illinois and that he does not want them to have the same freedom has he SYS.The Lincoln-Douglas debates helped enrage the conflict even more and showed a clear dividing line between the North and the South. As Lincoln says, l believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.. . It will become all one thing or all the other. Lincoln knew what decision the Union will have to make in order to stay alive and he already has chosen his side. Douglas shows how clueless he is on the issue when he asks, Why could the country not continue to exist half slave and half free as it had for 70 years? . These debates clearly mirror the events to come in American history in which slavery is abolished. Deciding where slavery would take place and whether or not it should be allowed was the 70 year old question the united States had to ask itself in the sasss.