The Lincoln-Douglas Debates During The Civil War

As the United States approached the Civil War, political division among the North and South only grew, with the two regions continuing to argue over states rights, specifically the right to permit slavery within their borders. By the end of the 1850s, two politicians named Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln had made waves among the American public with their debates over the expansion and abolition of slavery. While the campaigning for political office was already a common practice among politicians at the time, the back and forth debating style as well as the sheer volume of attendees was unprecedented in any previous American campaign. Thus the Lincoln-Douglas debates illustrated a shift in the way political campaigns for office were conducted in the United States that drastically contrasted with older election formats.
Prior to the Civil War were a multitude of events that contributed to the change in campaign style. The first major event to spark the public discussion of slavery in the United States was in the fact the founding of the country itself. Shortly after the American Revolution, many Americans started questioning the morality of slavery, as it served as a paradox to their ideology of liberty, justice, and equality of all men. In addition, many
Many members of the audience came “by train, by canal-boat, by wagon, by buggy, and on horseback” from the Illinois itself and nearby states to see the discussion. However, possibly more important was the American observers from all across the country, who discovered the two politicians from their popular debate. This audience were made of an even more diverse group of people. Northerners, southerners, and westward migrant families read articles and pamphlets on the candidates, and though they couldn’t vote, they subconsciously sided with one or the