The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

by Davis, Rodney O.; Wilson, Douglas L.

• ISBN13: 9780252033551
• ISBN10: 0252033558
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-22
• Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr

Summary

While the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas are undoubtedly the most celebrated in American history, they may also be the most consequential as well. For the issues so fiercely debated in 1858 were about various interrelated aspects of one momentous, nation-threatening issue: slavery. The contest between Lincoln and Douglas became a testing ground for the viability of conflicting ideals in a nation deeply divided. One of the most colourful and engaging episodes in American history, this series of debates is of enduring interest as an illuminating instance of the ever-recurring dilemma of self-government: what happens when the guiding principle of democracy, "popular sovereignty," confronts a principled stand against a "moral, social, and political evil"? The tragic answer in this case came three years later: civil war.Important as they are, the Lincoln-Douglas debates have long since ceased to be self-explanatory. This edition is the first to provide a text founded on all known records, rather than following one or another of the partisan and sometimes widely-varying newspaper accounts. Meticulously edited and annotated, it provides numerous aids to help the modern reader understand the debates, including extensive introductory material, commentary, and a glossary. The fullest and most dependable edition of the Lincoln-Douglas debates ever prepared, this edition brings readers as close as possible to the original words of these two remarkable men.

Author Biography

Rodney O. Davis and Douglas L. Wilson are codirectors of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College, in Galesburg, Illinois, and the coeditors of Herndon's Lincoln and Herndon's Informants.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
General Introduction	p. ix
Textual Introduction	p. xxvii
Ottawa, August 21, 1858	p. 1
Freeport, August 27, 1858	p. 43
Jonesboro, September 15, 1858	p. 83
Charleston, September 18, 1858	p. 127
Galesburg, October 7, 1858	p. 173
Quincy, October 13, 1858	p. 211
Alton, October 15, 1858	p. 251
Acknowledgments	p. 295
Textual Annotation	p. 297
Glossary: Persons, Issues, and Events	p. 319
Index	p. 335
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