The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

    The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, also known as the Great Debates of 1858, were a series of seven debates held around Illinois between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for one of Illinois' Senate seats.

    As they were formal debates, each was allotted set times to speak, and thousands came to attend the debates. The two discussed issues on many things, but the main focus was slavery.

    Douglas, who had long stood by his idea of "Popular Sovereignty", believed that the states had a choice to be slave or free. However, Lincoln believed that such freedom would disrupt the unity of the states, which is addressed in his famous "House Divided" speech. 

    In the end, Lincoln lost the election to Douglas, which meant losing he would not have a seat in the Senate, but the debates were instrumental in Lincoln's rise to political prominence. 

    Today, it is one of the most famous debates in U.S. history.