men were equal "in certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Lincoln–Douglas debates and Cooper Union speech In 1858, Douglas was up for re-election in the U.S. Senate, and Lincoln hoped to defeat him. Many in the party felt that a former Whig should be nominated in 1858, and Lincoln's 1856 campaigning and support of Trumbull had earned him a favor. Some eastern Republicans supported Douglas for his opposition to the Lecompton Constitution and admission of Kansas as a slave state. Many Illinois Republicans resented this eastern interference. For the first time, Illinois Republicans held a convention to agree upon a Senate candidate, and Lincoln won the nomination with little opposition. Lincoln accepted the nomination with great enthusiasm and zeal. After his nomination he delivered his House Divided Speech, with the biblical reference Mark 3:25, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other." The speech created a stark image of the danger of disunion. The stage was then set for the election of the Illinois legislature which would, in turn, select Lincoln or Douglas. When informed of Lincoln's nomination, Douglas stated, "[Lincoln] is the strong man of the party ... and if I beat him, my victory will be hardly won." The Senate campaign featured seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas. These were the most famous political debates in American history; they had an atmosphere akin to a prizefight and drew crowds in the thousands. The principals stood in stark contrast both physically and politically. Lincoln warned that Douglas' "Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the Founding Fathers' premise that all men are created equal. Douglas emphasized his Freeport Doctrine, in which he said local settlers were free to choose whether to allow slavery within their territory, and accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists. Lincoln's argument assumed a moral tone, as he claimed Douglas represented a conspiracy to promote slavery. Douglas's argument was more legal in nature, claiming that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court as exercised in the Dred Scott decision. Though the Republican legislative
{
        'QUESTION: Who was Abraham Lincoln?',
        'ANSWER: Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States who served from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the country during the Civil War and championed the abolishment of slavery.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: What did Lincoln say about a house divided?',
    'ANSWER: In his House Divided Speech, Lincoln quoted from the Bible saying, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." He believed that the United States could not continue as a nation split between states allowing and prohibiting slavery.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: Who was Stephen A. Douglas?',
    'ANSWER: Stephen A. Douglas was a prominent politician and leader of the Democratic Party in the mid-19th century. He was known for his stance on the issue of slavery and his debates with Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Senate race.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: What was the Freeport Doctrine?',
    'ANSWER: The Freeport Doctrine was a principle proposed by Stephen A. Douglas during the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. It argued that local settlers should decide whether to permit slavery within their territories, rather than have it dictated by federal law.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: How many debates took place between Lincoln and Douglas?',
    'ANSWER: There were seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas during their 1858 Senate campaign.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: Why was there tension between Eastern Republicans and Illinois Republicans?',
    'ANSWER: Tension existed between Eastern Republicans and Illinois Republicans because the Eastern Republicans wanted Douglas for his opposition to the Lecompton Constitution and admission of Kansas as a slave state, while Illinois Republicans resented what they saw as outside interference in their internal politics.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: What was the main difference between Lincoln and Douglas\' views on slavery?',
    'ANSWER: While both opposed immediate abolition, Lincoln viewed slavery as morally wrong and a threat to the principles of the founding fathers, whereas Douglas considered it a matter of individual choice under the protection of the US constitution.'},
    
    {'QUESTION: What was the outcome of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?',
    'ANSWER: Although the debates themselves didn't directly determine the winner of the senatorial race, they significantly raised Lincoln's national profile and helped him win the popular vote in the general election. However, due to the way the Illinois legislature selected Senators at the time, Douglas still managed to secure the seat.'}
```

Please note that these questions and answers are based on the given input text only. They may not cover every detail mentioned in the text but aim to provide clear, concise explanations of key points.