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 Fills in many gaps in my knowledge Jun 17, 2009
I have always been fascinated by the series of Lincoln's and Douglas's seven debates. This book does an excellent job of putting the speeches into the context of the times and of the campaigns. The texts of the debates are NOT included but are widely available on the web and in other books.
The big issue of the debates was the Dred Scot decision which while it only applied to the territories, could clearly be applied to the states. The Dred Scot decision was extremely unpopular in Illinois which wanted no blacks in the state at all, slave or free. Many whites had come to southern Illinois from slave states because they did not want to compete with slave labor for their livelihood. Those in the northern part of the state had come from New England and had a profound moral disgust with slavery. Douglas had the Southern part of the state locked up while the Northern part was Lincoln's so their energy was devoted to the center of the state which was about equally divided between Democrats and Republicans.
Both candidates tried (and failed) to explain why electing them would stop Dred Scot from being extended to states.
Lincoln argued against slavery while Douglas basically played the race card claiming that Republicans wanted blacks to be fully equal - blacks would be marrying white women and sitting in judgment over whites in juries.
For the first time, the beginnings of short hand were used by the highly and openly partisan papers to record their favorite's speeches while only briefly summarizing the candidate they did not like. The speeches were telegraphed around the country and raised Lincoln to national stature. Knowing this, Lincoln developed each speech as a successor to the previous speech so that he had a seven part logical argument against slavery while Douglas pretty much repeated himself at each stop, as if those coming had not already read his previous speech.
One thing brought out is that you cannot really tell, even long after the fact, whether a politician's words are said to placate a particular audience, to satisfy some central party committee trying to raise funds, or out of deep conviction. It is only in the context of the full body of a person's achievements and writings and goals that one can discern a pattern and infer a belief. Both Lincoln and Douglas come out as men of less moral conviction than either one really was under the pressures of the campaign.
If you have any interest at all in the debates, this is the best book to get. No other book on the topic comes close in analysis, readability, or completeness.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Lincoln and Douglas Debates Jan 27, 2009
Excellent book, it is a detailed account of the debates, debaters and what the crowds at debates were like then. It is hard to imagine the author was not there at each of the debates. After reading this book, you will feel as if you knew both Lincoln and Douglas personally.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Lincoln and Douglas Debates 1858 Oct 09, 2008
This book is an informative account of the debates and the caliber of politics for that time.
The electorial process was as flawed then as it is now. Lincoln had the popular vote however did not win the election.
However the debates exposed Lincoln to the whole country and set the stage for his later success in the 1860 Presidential Elections.
James Squires, St Johns, Newfoundland, 09-10-08
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Debates as Parts of Campaigns Oct 06, 2008
I'll endorse compliments already expressed and confine new praise to the three features of this book that impressed me most.
First, this book does a terrific job of placing the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates within the contexts of their separate campaigns. It reminds us that Lincoln and Douglas were not just campaigning against each other, but also against the Democratic Administration of President James Buchanan (another candidate for worst president ever). Both had to raise money, stage rallies, attract crowds, and rely on allies to publicly declare that they had soundly defeated their opponent.
Second, Guelzo shows in detail how Lincoln had to work within the newly formed Republican Party, and maneuver between its powers in Chicago, its national leaders (several of whom became Lincoln's rivals), and his personal advisers, making a series of unpleasant choices between them. The Chicago party leaders arranged for the debates and did their best to control what Lincoln said and didn't say. Lincoln resisted them at his own risk.
Third, the book is very well written, thoroughly documented, and carefully focused. It reveals in chapter after chapter how party politics have worked in Illinois and in the United States, how newspapers functioned as their tools, what motives (including white supremacy) fueled anti-slavery voters, and what Lincoln learned from one debate to the next. Lincolnophiles will much appreciate the book for its recognitions of Lincoln's blunders, regrets, recoveries, and growing political skills.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Lincoln v. Douglas, 1858 May 24, 2008
This is an almost day by day account of how the 1858 campaign for US Senator from Illinois was conducted btween Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. The author does a good job of putting you in the times and explaining the issues of the day. It is particularly strong in dealing with the pracical objections to Douglas' notion of popular soverignity in light of the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case.
The tight focus on the debates themselves was probably a tactical error on the author's part. They only had seven face-to-face debates and the book focuses entirely on them, with the result that by the 3rd or 4th debate, the events and the format of the book are repetitious.
Ironically, the author himself points out that it was the campaign,not just the debates that launched Lincoln toward the presidency, but the book itself only deals with the debates.
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