Why did the Lincoln - Douglas debates increase tension between the North and the South?

Answer 1

It would be clear that the Douglas - Lincoln debates would have had an impact on Illinois for sure. Here's the reason:

* Lincoln's political party the Republican Party was only 3-4 years old;

* Lincoln was running against an established statesman and incumbent US senator in Douglas; and

* Each candidate had an opposing view on how to approach the issue of slavery.

As Douglas was a national figure, perhaps newspapers around the United States might be following the senate race in Illinois. On the other hand, as Douglas would seem to have an overwhelming lead ( no national polls though ) as he was running against a local man from Illinois, perhaps a sure win for Douglas may have been of minor importance outside of Illinois.

Answer 2

Douglas argued that each state/territory should have the right to authorize or prohibit slavery. Lincoln argued that there should be no such right - that the US could not continue to exist half slave and half free. This became somewhat academic when the Supreme Court decided in Dred Scott (1857) that the Federal government had no power to regulate slavery in states/territories that were acquired after the creation of the United States.

Answer 3

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln lost his bid to win the US Senate seat of Illinois from nationally known Stephen A. Douglas. He and Lincoln agreed to a series of debates and slavery was often debated. Lincoln lost the Senatorial election , however, due to large newspaper coverage his name became more familiar to many Americans. To state that these debates led to the US Civil War does not pass the test of logic. The debates did not lead to the US Civil War.

Answer 4

They started to take notice of Lincoln, even though he lost the debate, and it was Douglas who won the Senatorial seat.