During most of his political career this position was politically correct and was shared by nearly all democrats in politics. the main theme of their argument was that slaves were the private propery of their owners and not subject to government regulation. The election of Lincoln who (during the election of 1860) opposed the expansion of slavery beyond its then current boundry resulted in the seccession of the southern states and the subsequent civil war to restore the union.
During the 1858 Lincoln Douglas debates, Senator Douglas named three groups that opposed the Fugitive Slave Act. The first group opposed the act totally. They refused to comply with it. The second group opposed the act but recognized it as law. The third group opposed the act but recognized it was needed for the 1850 compromise.
He violently opposed it.
Like all things political, it's complicated.One obvious reason is that Douglas was not pro-slavery enough. While he was opposed to abolition, he refused to strongly endorse the Dred Scott decision and other pro-slavery judicial rulings or legislation.It has also been suggested that pro-slavery secessionists chose not to support Douglas knowing that this would lead to a split in the Democratic party and, effectively, throw the election to Lincoln. Douglas was not vehemently pro-slavery, but he clearly wasn't morally opposed to it. Douglas did claim not to own any slaves personally, but this was a technicality; his wife and children did, and his household benefited economically from them. Lincoln's anti-slavery sentiments are well testified to by both public addresses and private letters, and secessionists felt that a Lincoln administration would soon provide the impetus for the southern states to finally secede.
That many people in the South opposed granting civil rights to African Americans
Making the Italian allies citizens of Rome.
Stephen A Douglas
It was the issue of slavery that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A Douglas disagreed about during their political debates. Stephen A Douglas supported slavery while Abraham Lincoln opposed it.
It was the issue of slavery that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A Douglas disagreed about during their political debates. Stephen A Douglas supported slavery while Abraham Lincoln opposed it.
Abraham Lincoln.
During the 1858 Lincoln Douglas debates, Senator Douglas named three groups that opposed the Fugitive Slave Act. The first group opposed the act totally. They refused to comply with it. The second group opposed the act but recognized it as law. The third group opposed the act but recognized it was needed for the 1850 compromise.
Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery on moral grounds in his debates with Stephen Douglas. He argued that slavery was morally wrong and believed in the principle that all men are created equal.
Senator Stephen A. Douglas defined the three groups of people who opposed the Fugitive Slave Act. These were:1. People who sought to subvert the law;2. People opposed to the law but believed it should be enforced as it was the law of the land;3. People who saw the law as part of the 1850 Missouri Compromise and agreed to it even though they opposed the law.
The 1861 Presidential election had four candidates. Besides Lincoln, Southern Democrat John Breckinridge, Constitutional Leader John Bell and Democrat Stephen Douglas all ran.
In 1858, it was evident that Lincoln opposed slavery. He said as much in his debates against Stephen Douglas, who was his opponent in the presidential race.
Stephen A. Douglas was a prominent Democratic politician in the 19th century who had a popular sovereignty approach to the issue of slavery. He believed that each territory should decide for itself whether to allow slavery, as opposed to having a national policy on the matter. This stance was a key aspect of the debates leading up to the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery and Douglas wanted states rights
He violently opposed it.