Rockford, Ill. (WTVO)—-

A huge part of Freeport’s history are the Lincoln Douglas debates. Tim Mahoney is sharing his knowledge on the debate and the Freeport Doctrine. First, Tim Mahoney shares how President Theodore Roosevelt made a dedication to the debate in 1903 and came to Freeport himself to give a speech. He then says that most people know about the debates, but a lot of people don’t know about the Freeport Doctrine and how important it was in Lincoln’s presidential election. In 1858, Stephan Douglas was a sitting senator and Abraham Lincoln was vying for his seat in the state senate. During the debate, the Dred Scott decision was brought up and Lincoln tried to make Douglas pick a side on the issue of slavery. The complicated answer Douglas gave won him the senate seat but it isolated Southern Democrats and Lincoln went on to win the presidency. To learn more about Mahoney and Mahoney you can visit them online at mahoneyandmahoney.com.

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