The LincolnDouglas Debates by Rodney O. Davis HARDBACK 9780252033551

The Lincoln-Douglas DebatesThe Lincoln Studies Center Edition\nAuthor(s): Rodney O. Davis, Douglas L. Wilson\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Illinois Press, United States\nImprint: University of Illinois Press\nISBN-13: 9780252033551, 978-0252033551\nSynopsis\nWhile 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 colorful 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 pr.