During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Abraham Lincoln believed that slaves had natural rights but were not entirely equal to whites.
Lincoln-Douglas debates constitutes a series of seven debates between the Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, largely dealing with the issue of slavery expansion into the territories.
Lincoln began his public career by asserting that he was "antislavery:" against slavery's extension, but not calling for immediate emancipation.
