In the 1850s , Chicago gained national political prominence as the home of Senator Stephen Douglas , the champion of the Kansas – Nebraska Act and the " popular sovereignty " approach to the issue of the spread of slavery . These issues also helped propel another Illinoisan , Abraham Lincoln , to the national stage . Lincoln was nominated in Chicago for US President at the 1860 Republican National Convention , which was held in Chicago in a temporary building called the Wigwam . He defeated Douglas in the general election , and this set the stage for the American Civil War
1860 Republican National Convention
1860 Republican National Convention
Chicago