The Lincoln-Douglas debates are an excellent reflection of the time period…and unfortunately kind of tarnish the amazing rep that Lincoln has as a do-or-die abolitionist. We know, we're sorry. At least you can sleep soundly knowing that he actually rocked a super tall stovepipe hat.

The debate over the issue of slavery had reached a boiling point, as one side looked to end a long-running hypocrisy and the other sought to hold onto their livelihoods and their way of life.

In fact, it was Senator Douglas' own Kansas-Nebraska Act that had recently made the territories into slave-holding states through use of popular sovereignty. This launched the country into fresh turmoil as the national policy on slavery continued to flip-flop. (Source)

Douglas' tactic was to try and paint Lincoln as an abolitionist, which at this point was still unacceptable to many Northern whites. And although Honest Abe has been venerated as the Great Emancipator who single-handedly ended slavery, his views were more moderate than that.

At this point in his career, Lincoln and most fellow Republicans wanted to stop the spread of slavery rather than get rid of it completely. While he was undoubtedly at the forefront of civil rights compared to a bunch of his political compatriots, Lincoln's views and circumstances had a ways to go before he suggested the complete abolition of slavery.