The Lincoln-Douglas debates happened in a town.
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 . In agreeing to the official debates , Lincoln and Douglas decided to hold one debate in each of the nine congressional districts in Illinois . The debates were held in seven towns in the state of Illinois : 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 .