He formulated what became known as the Freeport Doctrine.
- Alexander Hamilton
- Stephen Douglas
- Fidel Castro
- Joshua R. Giddings
- Nelson Mandela
He formulated what became known as the Freeport Doctrine.
During his series of seven debates with his opponent?Abraham Lincoln–in the Illinois senatorial race of 1858, Stephen Douglas formulated what became known as the Freeport Doctrine, which stated that the people of a territory could, by lawful means, exclude slavery prior to the formulation of a state constitution. The doctrine was so called because Douglas first pronounced it at the town of Freeport on August 27, 1858, in response to a question posed by Lincoln as to how Douglas could reconcile the doctrine of "popular sovereignty? with the Dred Scott decision.