With the final debate at Alton, both candidates recognized their final opportunity to push for support.  One final push.  Douglas started off the debate and his goals were to win over the Whigs, convince the South that he could be trusted, and to hurt Lincoln on his moral stand.  To accomplish this he leaned on the U.S. Constitution.  In 1858, there was a still great feeling towards the Founding Fathers and the beginning of our government.  There is that same feeling today, but remember your dates: 1858 is not too far removed from 1776. “Imagine for a moment that Mr. Lincoln had been a member of the convention that framed the Constitution of the United States, and that when its members were about to sign that wonderful document, he had arisen in that convention as he did at Springfield this summer, and addressing himself to the President, had said ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand; this government divided into free and slave states cannot endure, they must all be free or all be slave, they must all be one thing or all the other, otherwise, it is a violation of the law of God, and cannot continue to exist…’” Douglas went on to state that since, at that time, slave states outnumbered free, slavery would have been introduced as the law of the land.  A permanent institution.

For his response to this issue, Lincoln quoted from the Constitution.  As Lincoln viewed it, the Founding Fathers put slavery on the path to abolition.  “It is not true that our fathers, as Judge Douglas assumes, made this government part slave and part free.  Understand the sense in which he puts it.  He assumes that slavery is a rightful thing within itself, - was introduced by the framers of the Constitution.  The exact truth is, that they found the institution existing among us, and they left it as they found it.  But in making the government they left this institution with many clear marks of disapprobation upon it.  They found slavery among them and they left it among them because of the difficulty – the absolute impossibility of its immediate removal.” Lincoln then points out Douglas “hypocrisy” in saying that we should leave slavery alone as the Founding Fathers did.  Lincoln displays it as hypocrisy because of the introduction of new policies introduced by Douglas and the government in regards to slavery.  The situation was obviously never settled, claims Lincoln.  They never settled it.

Going back to the Constitution was a fitting conclusion for the famous debates of 1858.  The topic of slavery went right to the foundation of the United States.  It was only natural that the two contestants followed this path backwards to the founding.  Right back to the beginning.

The Quincy debate is notable for Lincoln’s description of the Republican Party.  As one of the people behind the rise of the Republican Party, Lincoln was very qualified to speak about it.  He had inside knowledge.  He describes the Party by talking about people in the party and how they feel about slavery.  He says, “I will add this, that if there be any man who does not believe that slavery is wrong… that man is misplaced, and ought to leave us.  While, on the other hand, if there be any man in the Republican party who is impatient over the necessity of springing from its actual presence, and is impatient of the constitutional guarantees thrown around it, and would act in disregard to these, he too is misplaced standing with us.” It is important to know that Lincoln, and other Republicans, believed that the Constitution was set up to get rid of slavery at some point in time.  Just wipe it out.  In this statement Lincoln is pledging his allegiance to the Constitution, stating that slavery is morally wrong, and assuring Illinois voters that the Republicans are not abolitionists.  He assured voters of all three.

People came in big numbers to the Galesburg debate.  Big, big numbers.  Estimates put the audience around 20,000.  Knowing that Galesburg was leaning Lincoln, Democratic papers urged Douglas supporters to make the trip.  The atmosphere was lively, with banners posted everywhere, mostly for Lincoln.  Not to mention the bitter cold.  Freezing cold.

Douglas went first.  Knowing that Galesburg was mostly anti-slavery, Douglas led the debate by speaking of his fight against the Lecompton Constitution.  Remember that Douglas fought this because it violated “popular sovereignty.” This opinion broke from the view of President Buchanan.  Douglas attempted to show the crowd that Lincoln and the Republicans were working with Buchanan to deny his reelection to the U.S. Senate.  He uses the example of the Galesburg Postmaster, a position replaced by President Buchanan. “I could find an instance in the postmaster of the city of Galesburg and in every other postmaster in this vicinity, all of whom have been stricken down simply because they discharged the duties of their offices honestly, and supported the regular Democratic ticket in this state…” Douglas says this fully aware that some Republicans supported his candidacy, simply because it stood against President Buchanan.  Against Buchanan.

For his response, Lincoln consults the Declaration of Independence. “I believe the entire records of the world, from the date of the Declaration of Independence up to within three years ago, may be searched in vain for one single affirmation, from one single man, that the Negro was not included in the Declaration of Independence.” Lincoln states that the policy of the Democratic party invented “that affirmation.” Simply, Jefferson made no distinction between races when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.  Only the Democratic party of 1858 makes that distinction, an invented one according to Lincoln.  Just made up.  Douglas often accused Lincoln of being a divider, because of his “house divided” speech.  In this debate Lincoln turns the tables and tells Douglas that because of his stance on “popular sovereignty,” the South will divide from supporting him in the future.  Lincoln’s response was searing.  The crowd erupted for him and continued erupting, even interrupting Douglas’ final portion of the debate.

The long campaign began showing its wear on Douglas.  His voice strained and his composure cracked a bit at Galesburg.  Lincoln seemed to be going strong.  Very strong.  With the debates wrapping up soon, both politicians continued to battle.

At Charleston, Lincoln again got the opportunity to take the stage first.  Remember that they alternated speaking first, with Douglas speaking first at both the initial debate and at the final debate.  Lincoln used this opportunity to distance himself from a position of wanting equality between blacks and whites.  Although Lincoln detested slavery, he did not think that the two races were equal.  This view changed over time, but during the debates he still held it.  He held it during the debates.  He thought it necessary to state it because it was a popular view in Illinois at that time.  Lincoln also attempted to catch Douglas off guard by driving right at his stance on “popular sovereignty.” Lincoln stated that Douglas defied “popular sovereignty” by supporting a Kansas constitution that did not allow people in the territory to vote yes or no on slavery.  Lincoln spent much of his opening reading from a speech by Senator Trumbull, which outlined Douglas’ push for the Kansas constitution.

Douglas, being an experienced debater, went right back at Lincoln.  Right back at him.  He questions why, since these charges were made before the last presidential election, Trumbull had not kept up the accusations during recent campaigning.  Douglas then hit Lincoln with a big blow.  A very big blow.  He wondered why Lincoln would use his opening time by basically reciting someone else’s speech.  “I thought I was running against Abraham Lincoln, that he claimed to be my opponent, had challenged me to a discussion of the public questions of the day with him, and was discussing these questions with me; but it turns out that his only hope is to ride into office on Trumbull’s back, who will carry him by falsehood.” Douglas then recharged that Lincoln and Trumbull conspired to unite the Democrats and Whigs as Republicans.  More than halfway through the debates, they were heating up.  Heating up big time.

The debate text is linked here, thanks to Bartleby.

We are very pleased and fortunate to have had a chance to speak about the Lincoln v. Douglas debates with Harold Holzer.  Harold Holzer is the author and editor of 25 books, a frequent television guest, lecturer, and is co-chairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.  He won the Lincoln Prize for his book on Lincoln at Cooper Union.  His website is www.haroldholzer.com.  Please visit his site to learn more about his work.  Here is his book for school aged kids, The President is Shot! Also, visit the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission website.

What role did the Declaration of Independence play in the Lincoln - Douglas debates?
All through the debates, Lincoln reminded Senator Douglas-and his audience-that the Declaration guaranteed that “all men are created equal.” This included African Americans.  Lincoln never let Douglas forget that slavery violated the promise of the Declaration.  It was mentioned in every debate.  Lincoln believed the Declaration was the holiest document in American history.

In your opinion, what would have happened to the United States had Lincoln been elected over Douglas?
This is a question I’ve never thought of before.  But i don’t think history would have changed much.  I expect Lincoln would still have run for President, still have won the nomination and the election.  In fact, if he had been a Senator he might have had an even easier time getting the Republicans to back him.

What role did the Dred Scott decision play in the debates?
In its Dred Scott decision, the U. S. Supreme Court declared the black people could never be citizens of the United States.  Lincoln was horrified at this ruling.  He insisted that the decision should be overturned.  He charged it was part of a conspiracy among all 3 branches of government-executive, legislative, and judicial-to make slavery permanent in every part of the country.  Douglas tried to play down the decision, but Lincoln brought it up every time he could.

Can you describe the events that brought Lincoln back into politics and to the place where he was chosen to run against Douglas?
Lincoln had been out of politics ever since serving a single term in Congress.  He was practicing law and, for once, earning good money.  Then Senator Douglas authored a new law in Congress.  It repealed the old Missouri Compromise which forbade slavery in the North.  And it created a new “doctrine” called “Popular Sovereignty.” Under this new idea, the settlers in new territories would be allowed to vote for themselves on whether or not to allow slavery into their areas.  Douglas thought this was a perfect example of democracy: majority rule. But Lincoln was furious-he asked how it could possibly be democratic for people to vote to make other people slaves?  As he put it, this new law “aroused” him back into politics.  In June 1858, Republicans meeting at the State Capitol in Springfield nominated Lincoln to run for the Senate against Douglas.  This was most unusual at the time-because in Lincoln’s time, Senators were elected by state legislatures, not a direct vote of the people, and candidates were never nominated.  Lincoln gave one of his greatest speeches when he accepted the nomination.  “A House Divided,” he said, “cannot stand.”


Can you explain Slave Power and why the Republicans thought it was such a threat?
First and foremost, Republicans opposed slavery on moral grounds.  Lincoln repeated throughout the debates that slavery was a “wrong” and that it some day had to end.  Slavery was also an economic threat.  Slave labor was cheaper than free white labor.  Lincoln wanted to be sure that working people could earn a decent salary.  Finally, slavery was also a political threat to Republicans-and all Northerners.  Under Senator Douglas’s “Popular Sovereignty” plan, each time a new territory voted to welcome slavery, it would become a new slave-holding state-with two new Democratic, pro-slavery Senators.  This meant that slavery would never be voted down in Congress-because the Slave power would control slavery forever.

Who were Lincoln’s role models in both politics and rhetoric?
Lincoln always said that Senator Henry Clay was his “ideal” as both a leader and a speaker.  He liked his logical way of speaking, his willingness to compromise, and his coolness under pressure.  We should remember that Clay also popularized the idea of sending black people back to Africa-and Lincoln supported this idea for many years.  Lincoln may have liked Clay principally because he was from Kentucky, like Lincoln himself.  But when it came time to support Clay for President in 1848, Lincoln endorsed Zachary Taylor instead.  And once he was elected president himself, Lincoln absolutely refused to compromise any further on slavery.  He insisted it could not spread into the new territories, period.  So in the end, Lincoln went much further than his role model.  He also admired Thomas Jefferson, and especially George Washington.  He read a book about Washington as a child and never forgot it.  But when Lincoln left Illinois to become President, he told people he had a task before him “greater than that which faced Washington.” That was quite a daring thing for him to say.

How did the Senate contest in Illinois come to national attention?
Though Lincoln and Douglas spoke off the cuff, not from prepared speeches, their debates were the first ever to be taken down in shorthand.  Newspapers from around the country then printed every one of the seven three-hour-long debates-every word of them-and added comments and opinions.  Soon, the whole country was talking about the debates.  Later, Lincoln had them published in a book, and it became a best-seller.  Douglas was already famous.  But these debates made Lincoln famous, too. Douglas was known as “The Little Giant.” Now Lincoln became, to many Republicans, the “Giant Killer.”

Can you describe the atmosphere of the debates: crowds, fanfare, publicity, etc.?
The debates took place over several months, and in very different parts of Illinois.  So crowds were sometimes as large as 20,000, or as small as 3,000.  Sometimes the weather was hot, sometimes freezing.  But each debate was a huge event.  Crowds came from all over, on horseback, in wagons, in boats, by railroad, or on foot. Many debates started with a parade.  People carried signs, ate and drank all day, listened to marching bands, bought pictures of the speakers, and shouted their opinions as the debaters spoke. It was like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards rolled into one big event. The enthusiasm was enormous.  Of course, no one knows how many people actually heard the speakers.  The debates took place in the days before microphones-so Lincoln and Douglas had to shout to make sure people could hear them.

In what ways was Douglas a vulnerable candidate and how did Lincoln attack his vulnerabilities?
Douglas was in fact a very strong candidate.  Illinois was still a very racist state in 1858.  By saying that he favored democracy but opposed equal rights for blacks, he fit in nicely with current opinion of the day.  Lincoln tried to remind voters that Douglas was a big drinker, that he favored Southern interests, and that he was part of the plot to make slavery national.  We tend to think of Douglas today as evil: a short, angry, loud man.  But in the 1850s, politicians were supposed to act this way.  It was Lincoln who was different!

Do you believe that certain presidents, like Lincoln, have historical “greatness” because their core values and beliefs are tailor made for the specific time in which they were president?
No, I think men like Lincoln are great-and remain great-because their values and beliefs work as well today as they did 150 years ago.  Lincoln believed in equality.  He believed in opportunity.  He hated slavery. A poor boy who rose from a log cabin to the White House, he showed by his own success that every American could go as far as his talent could take him.  Lincoln believed in the power of words and ideas.  He believed in open government, and communicating with the people.  Many people of his own day thought he was too liberal.  Others thought him too conservative.  His success shows that he was a political genius as well as a man of core values.

Is there any truth to the rumor that Lincoln wore a stovepipe hat to give pigeons a place to sit?
This is a good story, but I’m afraid it is for the birds.  I happen to think Lincoln wore a stovepipe hat because he wanted to appear even taller than he was.  At 6’4”, he was a giant in his day-like today’s basketball players!  But the top hat made him look even bigger.  Every politician likes to stand out in a crowd, and his hat made Lincoln visible in even the biggest of those crowds.  Besides, Lincoln needed a big hat for all his paperwork.  He used his hat as his “office,” filling it with scraps of paper.  He couldn’t very well have done that with a cap!

The Jonesboro debate is notable for two things, the location and Lincoln playing to the national audience again.  Barley already told you that Jonesboro was not a friendly spot for Lincoln.  Lincoln acknowledges that during the debate, but always treats the audience with respect.  Always.  Even though the Jonesboro audience was small, Lincoln understood that the debates were being followed nationally.  So he follows up his Freeport question with a similar one at Jonesboro.  He asks Douglas, “ Would you vote for or against legislation for the protection of slave property in the territories, if slaveholders demanded such legislation?” Douglas did not expect Congress to protect slavery in the territories if local law didn’t pass laws protecting it.  He didn’t expect that.  This again signaled to the South that Douglas would not intervene for slavery’s expansion.

The second debate in Freeport is notable for the Freeport Doctrine. The Freeport Doctrine, put forward as a response to a Lincoln question, carried forward from 1858 to 1860, denying Douglas a chance at the Presidency. Real quick, let’s step back. Remember that Douglas spoke first in Ottawa. Now it was Lincoln’s turn to take the “stump” first, and he was not one to waste that opportunity. First he answered Douglas’s questions from Ottawa, denying that he was an abolitionist. Then he unleashed the Freeport question; the question he had been gearing up for months to ask. Preparing for months. Remember something about Abraham Lincoln, if nothing else he was a political genius. Lincoln knew Douglas’s answer even before he asked the question. He had been following Douglas’s speeches for years. He counted on the answer. He knew the answer would put Douglas out of the presidential contest in 1860. Out of the election of 1860.

Here is Lincoln’s question. Can the people of a United States territory, in any way, against the wish of any citizen of the United States, exclude slavery from its limits prior to the formation of a state constitution? Seems like a pretty simple question, doesn’t it? In fact, Lincoln’s advisers told him not to ask the question because they knew Douglas’s answer would most likely help him in Illinois. Help him in Illinois. Lincoln knew that Douglas would answer in support of “popular sovereignty,” basically negating the Dred Scott decision. Here is part of Douglas’s response, “It matters not what way the Supreme Court may hereafter decide as to the abstract question whether slavery may or may not go into a Territory under the Constitution, the people have the lawful means to introduce it or exclude it as they please, for the reason slavery cannot exist a day or an hour anywhere, unless it is supported by local police regulations. These police regulations can only be established by the local legislature, and if the people are opposed to slavery they will elect representatives to that body who will by unfriendly legislation effectually prevent the introduction of it into their midst.” This response is important because it showed people in the South that a President Douglas would not intervene in any Territory or state to protect slavery. Remember that these debates were followed nation-wide and that Douglas was a major figure in the nation. Therefore, his words during the debates were looked at under a microscope. Under a microscope. The Democrats were already fractured as a party. The Freeport Doctrine fractured them even more and gave a “dark horse” named Lincoln a chance to become president.

Stephen Douglas opened the first debate by attacking Lincoln with the formation of the Republican Party.  Douglas outlines a small history of the Whig Party, stating that they were able to compromise with the Democrats when the issue was slavery.  Douglas painted the Republican Party as Abolitionists, and outlined a number of beliefs of that party.  He also critiqued Lincoln’s “house divided” speech, saying that the country had been divided into slave and free states since the founding.  Since the founding.  Douglas branded Lincoln as a divider, someone pushing for Civil War.  Now, remember that Ottawa sits in the northern section of Illinois; so anti-slavery sentiment ran higher than other areas of the state.  Douglas was very crafty.  Very crafty.  He wanted to get Lincoln to tie himself to an abolitionist stance so that it would affect him when they debated in the southern part of the state.  Besides going on the offense, Douglas touted his view of “popular sovereignty” as a solution to the issue of slavery.

When Lincoln’s chance to speak came, he approached with caution.  A lot of caution.  Lincoln did not directly answer the charges that Douglas had hurled his way.  He made a blanket denial of being an abolitionist, but reserved the right to address the charges more specifically at a later debate.  Lincoln wanted to be sure of his answers.  However, this delay in answering was a definite victory for Douglas.

The main point to come from this debate was the two different views on slavery: Lincoln thought it was wrong while Douglas did not.  Lincoln thought slavery was wrong for the country as well as morally.  Douglas was indifferent to the moral question of slavery.  The moral question.  He was satisfied as long as “popular sovereignty” led the issue.

The entire debate text is linked here thanks to Bartleby.