What was the Alton debate about?
People were charged one dollar for a round trip ticket to ride a steamboat from St. Louis. It was a cloudy day with only 5,000 in attendance despite the fact that the Chicago and Alton Railroad offered half price fare from Springfield and other locations.
What did Lincoln say during the 1858 debate?
He kicked off his campaign in earnest with a speech in Springfield that June, in which he famously declared that “A house divided against itself cannot stand.. this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”
What was the main topic of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign. The main issue of the debates was the extension of slavery into American territories.
What happened at the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
In the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates—all about three hours along—Lincoln argued against the spread of slavery while Douglas maintained that each territory should have the right to decide whether it would become free or allow slavery.
Who did Abraham Lincoln debate in 1858?
Stephen A. Douglas
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of formal political debates between the challenger, Abraham Lincoln, and the incumbent, Stephen A. Douglas, in a campaign for one of Illinois’ two United States Senate seats.
What did Douglas believe in the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
The debates consisted of Douglas accusing Lincoln of being an abolitionist while Lincoln accused Douglas of wanting to nationalize slavery. These main topics were reflective of the major issues that the country was facing at a national level with both sides battling for what they thought would better the Union.
What did Abraham Lincoln say in his inaugural address?
In his inaugural address, Lincoln promised not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it existed, and pledged to suspend the activities of the federal government temporarily in areas of hostility. However, he also took a firm stance against secession and the seizure of federal property.
What did Abraham Lincoln gain from the Lincoln Douglas debates in spite of losing the 1858 US Senate election to Stephen A Douglas?
What did Abraham Lincoln gain from the Lincoln-Douglas debates in spite of losing the 1858 U.S. Senate election to Stephen A. Douglas? He gained growing respect and a political following that would help him later.
What was the main purpose of President Lincoln’s first speech to the nation?
President Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address focused on reassuring the Southern states that the president would not try to strip them of their slaves and that he would try to find a way to help them secure slavery if it would make them happy.
What issue was Lincoln’s major focus in his speech a house divided?
Speaking to more than 1,000 delegates in an ominous tone, Lincoln paraphrased a passage from the New Testament: “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” The issue dividing the nation was slavery’s place in the growing western territories and the extent of federal power over individual states’ rights.