The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a defining moment in American political history, affording Abraham lincoln a major opportunity to create an image for himself on the wider public stage. Stephen Douglas was an established political figure and had distinguished himself in numerous congressional battles, while Lincoln was the newcomer, a lawyer who had not yet made his mark outside the courtroom to any degree. Douglas was the challenged party and seized the advantage of four of the seven openings. The Illinois newspapers saw the significance of these encounters and played them up big in print. The arrangement helped conserve the time of busy rural voters, gave both candidates larger audiences than they might have reached on their own, and made possible a true clash of arguments and ideas. Lincoln was supposedly also receiving benefits by being on the platform with the more famous Douglas, and partisans of Douglas believed that Lincoln could not attract such huge crowds if he did not have Douglas by his side. Douglas, however, saw in Lincoln a strong opponent and believed that this undertaking was of great importance. Douglas had offered a compromise on slavery, and he and Lincoln would differ on issues of ratification, nullification, and slavery. Douglas helped create the Republican Party, while Lincoln would help define it. The nature of their debate is the culmination of Douglas's political life and the beginning of Lincoln's.
Angle, Paul M. (ed.). Created equal? The Complete Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958.
Ericson, David F. The Shaping of American Liberalism: The Debates over Ratification, Nullification, and Slavery. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Fehrenbacher, Don E. Prelude to Greatness: Lincoln in the 1850's. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1962.
Heckman, Richard Allen. Lincoln vs. Douglas Washington: Public Affairs Press, 1
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