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He believed in minority rights, meaning that he though that the minority group in the U. S. Should have the same or similar rights as the majority. He became the sixteenth president of The United States of America. President Abraham Lincoln is well known for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that declared slaves free forever, on January 1, 1863. Abraham Lincoln won re-election in 1864 after gaining the support of northern democrats. On April 14, 1 865, the sixteenth president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in
Washington by John Wilkes Booth. Senator Stephen A. Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont. Unlike Abraham Lincoln, he did not have to work as hard to get an education. In 1833, he began to study law under a local lawyer, but quit and moved to Jacksonville, Illinois 6 months later. In 1834 he was admitted to the Illinois Bar. Douglas was a leader in the Illinois Democratic Party. Shortly before he turned 22 he was elected to be the state’s attorney. In 1836 Douglas he was elected to the House of Representatives, and in 1840 he became the Illinois Secretary of State.
In 1846 he served three consecutive terms in the U. S. Senate. In 1858 Senator Douglas once again, ran for U. S. Senate. This time his challenger was Abraham Lincoln a republican from Illinois. Lincoln and Douglas held a series of 7 debates in the seven congressional districts of Illinois. These debates were known as The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. He won the election for senate. Stephen A. Douglas died in June 1861 in Illinois after being severely weakened by a life of overwork and excessive drinking. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates took place in the seven different congressional strict of Illinois.
The first debate took place in Ottawa, Illinois on August 21, 1858. This district would be the district that Chicago would be located in. The second Debate took place in Freeport, Illinois on August 27, 1858. Freeport was the northernmost congressional district in Illinois. The third debate took place in Joneses, Illinois on September 15, 1858. Joneses was the southernmost congressional district in Illinois. The fourth debate took place in Charleston, Illinois on September 18, 1858. The fifth debate took place in Eagleburger, Illinois on October 7, 1858.
The sixth debate took place in Quince, Illinois on October 13, 1858. The seventh and final debate in the Lincoln- Douglas debate series took place in Alton, Illinois on October 15, 1858. During the Lincoln-Douglas debates many issues were discussed. The main issue of the Debates was slavery. They also discussed the issue of majority rule and minority right. Senator Douglas believed in majority rule, while Lincoln was supportive of minority rights. Because Senator Douglas was well known the Lincoln-Douglas Debates received national coverage.