Lincoln-Douglas Quincy Debate

Stephen A. Douglas, the incumbent Senator, and Abraham Lincoln, a former congressman and current attorney, met for the sixth in a series of seven debates for the right to represent Illinois in the Senate. They debated the issues of the day before an outdoor crowd in Quincy, Illinois. Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas again traded accusations. However, they also talked about more substantive issues including the morality of slavery as an institution and the real meaning of the recently decided Dred Scott case. This sixth debate is most significant for two main reasons. First, this was a summary debate, covering many of the issues raised in the others, ranging from the conspiratorial charges to the moral issues that had become prominent in Galesburg. Second, both men strongly attacked each other. This is very evident when comparing Lincoln’s remarks at Quincy to his more principled stance at Galesburg. This debate occurred on October 13, 1858 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. Mr. Lincoln spoke for an hour close