USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -The main focus of these debates was slavery and its influence on American politics and society-specifically the slave power, popular sovereignty, race equality, emancipation, etc.

Detailed explanation-3: -Douglas’s bill in effect repealed the Missouri Compromise by lifting the ban against slavery in territories north of the 36°30′ latitude. In place of the ban, Douglas offered popular sovereignty, the doctrine that the actual settlers in the territories and not Congress should decide the fate of slavery in their midst.

Detailed explanation-4: -"A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.