In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, particularly during the second debate held in Freeport, Illinois, on August 27, 1858, Abraham Lincoln directly challenged Stephen A. Douglas's principle of popular sovereignty. Lincoln posed the "Freeport Question," asking whether a territory could exclude slavery despite the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision. Douglas responded that local legislation could effectively keep slavery out, asserting that the people of a territory had the right to determine their own laws. This exchange highlighted the deepening divide over the issue of slavery in America.
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