The political environment in the 1850s was exceptionally tense because of the debate over slavery. Lincoln represented a new party, the Republicans, who believed in "free soil" for western territories, meaning the containment of slavery within the South.

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The political environment in the 1850s was
exceptionally tense because of the debate over
slavery. Lincoln represented a new party, the
Republicans, who believed in "free soil" for
western territories, meaning the containment of
slavery within the South. Democrats were divided
over the question, but Douglas believed that
westerners should decide for themselves whether
or not to allow slavery.
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By rigidly supporting "popular sovereignty" in
the western territories, Senator Douglas found
himself at odds with leaders of his own party. In
late 1857, President James Buchanan endorsed a
proslavery constitution for Kansas, but Douglas
refused to go along. This rupture between leading
Democrats shocked the nation's political
community.
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Opposed by a president from his own party,
Douglas began the year in 1858 uncertain about
his upcoming reelection. Some Republicans saw
this as a great opportunity. Horace Greeley, a
leading Republican newspaper editor, openly
talked about the possibility of accepting Douglas
into the Republican Party. But Abraham Lincoln
objected.
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On June 16, 1858, the Republican convention,
meeting at the State House in Springfield,
endorsed former congressman Lincoln as their
"first and only choice" for U.S. Senate.
Lincoln responded to his party's endorsement with
a startling prediction.  "A house divided against
itself cannot stand," he warned regarding the
nation's division over slavery.
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"I shall have my hands full," Douglas said after
learning that Lincoln had been nominated to face
him.  He discovered how full only after returning
to Illinois and finding that Lincoln planned to
follow him around the state. Lincoln was even
suggesting as many as 50 debates.  Annoyed but
unintimidated, Douglas agreed to what he called
seven "joint discussions."
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The first debate occurred in Ottawa on August 21.
The towns population literally doubled overnight
as more than 10,000 people arrived to hear the
candidates.  Banners were everywhere.  The
diverse crowd strained to hear the open-air
debate. Newspapers paid shorthand reporters to
take down every word and wired reports across the
country. 
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After the first debate, Lincoln admitted, "The
fire flew some."  Douglas had been on the attack,
accusing his opponent of various sins, especially
for being too radical on the slavery question, a
charge that Lincoln struggled to deny. A week
later in Freeport, Lincoln appeared stronger,
putting Douglas on the defensive with questions
about his views on slavery.
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By the Jonesboro encounter in mid-September, a
pattern was clear.  Even though Illinois had no
slaves, the 1858 debates focused exclusively on
the fate of slavery.  Douglas argued that white
people should decide for themselves whether or
not to allow it, while Lincoln claimed slavery
was immoral and should eventually be abolished.
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The challenge for Lincoln was to explain what
would happen after slavery was extinguished.
Douglas knew most whites feared this prospect and
pressed Lincoln repeatedly, even making sneering
references to Frederick Douglass, the famed
abolitionist and former slave. At Charleston,
Lincoln conceded that he was not yet ready to
commit to full political or social equality.
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The Quincy debate witnessed Lincoln at his most
aggressive, accusing Douglas of ducking, and
lying, and even of forgery in his use of
documents.  The senator responded by claiming his
opponent had indulged in gross personalities
and false charges.  It was mid-October and the
close contest had reached its nastiest point. 
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Douglas led off the final debate by highlighting
his independence and claiming that Lincolns
House Divided doctrine was a "slander upon the
immortal framers of our constitution."  He
predicted national destruction if the Republicans
prevailed.  Lincoln replied by arguing that the
real "issue" of the contest was "the eternal
struggle" between "right and wrong."
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Nobody knows for sure what impact the great
debates had on the 1858 Illinois elections.
Republicans won the majority of popular votes in
the legislative contests, but since not all
legislators were up for election and because the
apportionment of seats was imperfect, Democrats
retained control of the General Assembly and
succeeded in reelecting Douglas.
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Lincoln's optimism after the 1858 campaign soon
appeared justified. Despite losing the election
to Douglas, the Springfield attorney was invited
in 1859 to give campaign speeches in five
different northern states or territories and
received what Lincoln called his "highest
compliment" -- a request to publish the text of
the debates by political friends in Ohio.
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Lincoln and Douglas faced each other again in
1860 as presidential candidates, though in this
contest they had no debates and were joined by
two other contenders, John Breckinridge and John
Bell.  The result was another close election, but
this time with a much different result.  Lincoln
and the Republicans prevailed, secession began,
and the nation lurched toward war.
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