Freeport Township in Stephenson County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023
1. Lincoln-Douglas Debate Marker
Erected 1958 by Illinois State Historical Society; and the Lincoln-Douglas Society of Freeport.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Illinois State Historical Society series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is August 27, 1858.
Location. 42° 18.132′ N, 89° 37.945′ W. Marker is in Freeport, Illinois, in Stephenson County. It is in Freeport Township. It is on North West Avenue (Illinois Route 26) just north of West Galena Avenue (Business U.S. 20), on the right when traveling south. The marker is located near the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 838 West Galena Avenue,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Soldiers' Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); Stephenson County Vietnam Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Kansas-Nebraska Act (approx. 0.6 miles away); Early Slavery Issues (approx. 0.6 miles away); Second Lincoln-Douglas Debate Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); Stephen A. Douglas (approx. 0.6 miles away); Boulder Dedication (approx. 0.6 miles away); Abraham Lincoln (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Freeport.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. 2nd Lincoln-Douglas Debate Freeport, Illinois
Also see . . .
1. Second Debate: Freeport, Illinois (National Park Service). Excerpt:
It(Submitted on September 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)was a cloudy, cool, and damp day. Special trains brought people from Galena, Chicago, Rockford, and other cities in northern Illinois. Estimates as high as 15,000 were reported in various newspaper accounts. Lincoln answered the seven questions Douglas posed at Ottawa and then asked four of his own. Douglas' response became known as the Freeport Doctrine which had ramifications at the 1860 Democratic National Convention.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 20232. Lincoln-Douglas Debate Marker(looking west from North West Avenue)
2. Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Encyclopaedia Britanica). Excerpt:
At Freeport Lincoln challenged Douglas to reconcile popular sovereignty with the Dred Scott decision. Douglas replied that settlers could circumvent the decision by not establishing the local police regulations i.e., a slave code that protected a masters property. Without such protection, no one would bring slaves into a territory. This became known as the Freeport Doctrine.(Submitted on September 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Douglass position, while acceptable to many Northern Democrats, angered the South and led to the division of the last remaining national political institution, the Democratic Party. Although he retained his seat in the Senate, narrowly defeating Lincoln when the state legislature (which then elected U.S. senators) voted 54 to 46 in his favour, Douglass stature as a national leader of the Democratic Party was gravely diminished.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 215 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
