Charles H. Rhodes
HISTORY 1301
Pollard

“THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES”

The Lincoln-Douglas debates played a significant role in the coming of the Civil war. The driving force to this national tragedy, the abolishment of slavery, was debated here. The candidate, Stephen A. Douglas, chose to take his stance on “pro-slavery”. As a natural reaction to his decision, Abraham Lincoln became viewed as an abolitionist. The future president of the Union would be decided in this debate. The winner’s stance on slavery would then tear our nation apart.
Stephen A. Douglas’ strategy in these debates was simple. He wanted the people to believe that Abraham Lincoln was an abolitionist. He wanted the voters to think that Lincoln wanted racial equality for blacks and whites. As I read the truth in the text I found it interesting, the presumed cause of the war came down to a political platform. I also was astonished to read that these two men’s real opinion on the topic of slavery and equal rights for both races was in fact not really that different.
Abraham Lincoln was forced to counter attack Douglas in these debates. His choice was to make Douglas look like he was pro-slavery. He made the voters think that Douglas believed “slavery is an unqualified evil to the negro, to the white man, and to the soil, and to the state.” Lincoln also wanted the voters to think of Douglas as an immoral man by saying Douglas “is blowing out the moral lights around us, when he contends that he whoever wants slaves has a right to hold them.”
I believe that these men’s stance on the primary issue had a major effect on the war and the Nation we live in today. The most disheartening fact I learned from this reading, was that Abraham Lincoln believed that blacks were congenitally inferior to whites. I was also amazed that these two men really were not that far apart on their