USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Lincoln-Douglas debates, series of seven debates between the Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, largely concerning the issue of slavery extension into the territories.

Detailed explanation-2: -Lincoln believed that slaves were humans, and as humans deserve the fundamental right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, ” which Lincoln interpreted as only the right to not be enslaved, not the right to citizenship.

Detailed explanation-3: -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.

Detailed explanation-4: -Lincoln argued that African Americans were included under the rights given by the Declaration of Independence, and thus allowing spreading slavery to the west was unconstitutional. Meanwhile, Douglas argued that the question of expanding slavery to the west was for the people to decide by way of democratic vote.