Abraham Lincoln began his important but fateful career in politics in 1854, at 45. He was a strong supporter of the Northern states, who wanted to rid the United States of slavery. At that time, Abraham Lincoln spoke at a courthouse in Winchester, Illinois, concerning the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. Lincoln was a strong opposer of Nebraska being admitted as a slave state, because Lincoln was an abolitionist and wanted to keep the number of free states and slave states even. Many people who heard Lincoln's speech were very impressed with him. I have heard this winter, all the big men in Congress talk on this question (referring to Nebraska), but Lincoln's is the strongest speech I have ever heard on the subject.? Richard Yates, Sr., one of the amazed people who heard the speech, said this. After this speech, many people wanted Abraham Lincoln to speak on behalf of abolishing slavery. Therefore he made his way around the United States in order to urge people to fight slavery. Lincoln was always in heated debates with many pro-slavery politicians. Soon, Lincoln was running to become a Senator. Before running against other parties on November 2nd, Lincoln first had to be nominated by the Illinois Republican Party. The decision was to be made at the Republican convention on June 16, 1858. After the convention, the decision was: Abraham Lincoln is the first and only choice of the Republicans of Illinois for the U.S. Senate as the successor of Stephen A Douglas.? He was in the race.
During the election was when Lincoln learned that not everybody agreed with his opinions. Lincoln was the leading vote getter early on in the election, but eventually lost the race and realized that obviously the majority of voters didn't agree with his views on abolishing slavery. Lincoln was sitting dejectedly in his office, and was determined to change the public's opinion on him. Also, in November 1858, many newspapers nominated Lincoln for president.
