The Lincoln -- Douglas Debates ( also known as The Great Debates of 1858 ) were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln , the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois , and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas , the Democratic Party candidate . The debates in Freeport , Quincy and Alton drew especially large numbers of people from neighboring states , as the issue of slavery was of monumental importance to citizens across the nation .
The Lincoln-Douglas debates occured in Freeport.