Inside the Vault: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

During the 1858 US Senate race, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas held seven debates from August through October. Despite losing the election to Douglas, Lincoln rose from local Illinois politician to national prominence. In 1859, he was invited to give campaign speeches in five different northern states. Why did the Lincoln-Douglas debates capture national attention? Were debates in the mid-nineteenth century different from today’s?

On August 1, 2024, our curators discussed the Lincoln-Douglas debates with Dr. Allen C. Guelzo, the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar at Princeton University.

View slides from the presentation here.

FEATURED DOCUMENTS

• Daguerreotype of Nicolay with staff of Pittsfield, Ill. Free Press [Framed], ca. 1854–1856
• Photograph of Lincoln and His Secretaries, 1863
• Cabinet Card of Abraham Lincoln, ca. 1858
• Abraham Lincoln to Samuel Galloway, December 19, 1859
• Political Debates between the Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, 1860

USE THE TIMESTAMPS BELOW TO JUMP TO THE TOPIC YOU WANT TO VIEW

0:14–1:32: Today’s documents
1:33–2:33: “Abraham Lincoln” Classics Illustrated, 1958
2:34–10:58: Publishing the Lincoln-Douglas Debates
10:59–13:26: Samuel Galloway
13:27–15:01: Abraham Lincoln and John George Nicolay
15:02–20:55: Knox College and the debates
20:56–23:02: Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln & Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, 1860
23:03–30:03: Debating the subject of equality
30:04–38:27: Debating the western states and slavery
38:28–43:50: The issue of morality and slavery
42:51–1:02:46: Q&A