Freeport Doctrine facts for kids

The Freeport Doctrine was an important idea shared by Stephen A. Douglas during a famous debate with Abraham Lincoln. This debate happened on August 27, 1858, in Freeport, Illinois. It was a time when people in the United States were arguing a lot about whether slavery should be allowed to spread into new territories.

What Was the Freeport Doctrine?

Douglas's idea was a way to explain how people in a territory could decide about slavery. Even if the Supreme Court said slavery was allowed everywhere, Douglas believed people in a territory could still stop it. They could do this by simply not passing any laws to support slavery. If there were no local laws to protect slavery, it couldn't really exist.

The Big Debate: Lincoln vs. Douglas

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was trying to win a Senate seat from Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln strongly disagreed with letting slavery spread. He challenged Douglas to pick a side. Douglas had supported "popular sovereignty" (meaning people in a territory could vote on slavery).

This idea was part of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. But the Supreme Court had also ruled in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that slavery could not be legally stopped in territories. This put Douglas in a tough spot. He respected the Supreme Court, but this ruling went against his own views and was not popular in Illinois.

What Douglas Said

Instead of choosing one side, Douglas explained his view. He said that even with the Supreme Court's ruling, people in a territory could still control slavery. If they didn't want slavery, they would not pass laws to support it. Without local laws, slavery could not continue.

Douglas believed that slavery needed local rules to exist. These rules could only be made by the local government. So, if people were against slavery, they would elect leaders who would pass "unfriendly" laws. These laws would stop slavery from coming into their area. If they wanted slavery, their laws would help it grow.

Why It Mattered

Douglas's position was meant to be a compromise. It tried to please both those who wanted slavery and those who did not. The state of Illinois liked his answer, and he was re-elected to the Senate over Lincoln.

However, the Freeport Doctrine made many people in the Southern United States angry. They called it the "Freeport Heresy." These Southerners wanted more protection for slavery. They felt Douglas's idea went against their goals.

The Split in the Democratic Party

Southern politicians later tried to make Congress reject the Freeport Doctrine. They wanted laws that would force territories to allow slavery. This was a way to stop Douglas from becoming president in 1860.

The 1860 Election

The disagreement over the Freeport Doctrine helped split the Democratic Party in 1860. This split made it harder for Douglas to win the 1860 presidential election. He ended up losing the election.