Impact

    In the end, the "Freeport Doctrine" won Douglas the Illinois Senate seat.It was a narrow victory for Douglas though. Lincoln won the popular vote, but at the time, the Senators were elected by the state legislature, not the people, and they chose Douglas over Lincoln. It was by no means a landslide victory.

    However, this was just a setback for Lincoln. The debates helped Lincoln rise to political prominence. The ideas and beliefs that he expressed during the debates won him many supporters.

    On the other-hand, Douglas lost many. His position with the "Freeport Doctrine" lost him the favor of Southern Democrats. They wished to bring their slaves anywhere, but the Doctrine stated that they could not because that should be decided via "popular sovereignty".

    Four years later, Lincoln and Douglas (along with two others) both ran for Presidency. With the loss of the Southern Democrats and many votes along with it, Douglas was effectively eliminated from the start.

     Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States with 180 votes from the Electoral College, a vast majority, and over half a million more popular votes. In part, it was due to the stance Douglas had taken with the "Freeport Doctrine".