The Lincoln-Douglas Debates between former Illinois Congressman Abraham Lincoln and Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas take place in seven towns between August 21, and October 15.
Running on a platform that advocates "Manifest Destiny," meaning the expansion of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, James K. Polk of Tennessee wins the Presidential election on December 4, becoming the eleventh President of the United States.
On December 2, William Henry Harrison of Indiana defeats incumbent President Martin Van Buren of New York for the Presidency. Harrison, the ninth President, becomes the first member of the Whig Party to be elected to the nation's highest office and the first president to die in office.
