Topic: Slavery
Fighting for What You Believe In
By: Leah Bernal and Joshua DeLuca
Debating With The President
It's October 15, 1858 in Alton, Illinois. You're a mere spectator of the 7th and final debate held between President, Abraham Lincoln and Congressman Stephen A. Douglas. You are held in astonishment as the two men argue back and forth on the topic of slavery. Douglas rambles on about "popular sovereignty" and how slavery is a pure necessity if the Annexation of Central America were to occur, which he thoroughly believed in. Meanwhile, Lincoln attacks with his enduring thought of slavery being "unconstitutional".
Stephen Arnold Douglas was "born on a farm near Brandon, Vermont" and later in his middle years "in the interest of becoming a lawyer, he moved to Illinois"(Gabor S. Boritt). Further on, he became a main leader in the Democratic Party in Illiois.
Douglas felt the need for the annexation of Central America and Cuba. He saw this as a crucial element in keeping slavery alive and growing. During his debates with Lincoln in 1858, Stephen Douglas was fighting for his belief in slavery, as it kept the U.S. growing. However, when the Civil War broke out, his opinion changed and saw through the eyes of Lincoln to end slavery. Douglas later died less than two months after the start of the Civil War on June 3, 1861.
Leah Bernal
Works Cited
Douglas, and the Future of Latin America." Journal of Southern History 81.3 (2015): 727t. Student Resources in Context. Web.19 April. 2016
Boritt, Gabor S. "Douglas, Stephen Arnold." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1999 ed. 1999 Print.