On August 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Democratic incumbent Stephen A. Douglas held the first of their seven historic debates as candidates for the Senate in Illinois. These long-form debates focused on the subject of slavery’s expansion into the territories.
Yesterday, October 15, marked the anniversary of the seventh and final debate of the series between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in their campaign for one of Illinois’s two United States Senate in 1858.
The final debate was held in Alton, Illinois, before a crowd of about 5,000 people. In the debate, Douglas attacked Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech and his understanding of the Declaration of Independence. In response, Lincoln … Read more »
On September 15, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas gathered before a crowd of roughly 1,500 people–mostly Democrats–in Jonesboro, Illinois, for their third debate in their campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. Three days later, on September 18, the fourth debate occurred, this time in Charleston, IL, with nearly 12,000 people in attendance–many of whom had traveled from neighboring Indiana to attend.
At the Jonesboro debate, … Read more »
On August 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas held their first debate as part of their campaign for one of Illinois’s two United States Senate seats. Between August 21 and October 15, the pair participated in seven debates; in each one, either Douglas or Lincoln would begin with an hour-long address, then the other would respond for an hour and a half, and the opener would have … Read more »
On August 27, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met for their second debate in their campaign for the United States Senate seat from Illinois. Nearly 15,000 people from northern Illinois traveled to Freeport to watch the debate.
Lincoln spoke first, quickly answering the seven questions that Douglas had asked at the last debate, and then posed several questions for Douglas himself to answer. As before, much of the … Read more »
Distinguished scholar-teachers Amy and Leon Kass demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.
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“What a wonderful collection of American songs, speeches, and stories. It should be valuable for teachers, students, parents, and readers of all kinds.”
— Diane Ravitch