Good Reads - Nonfiction

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

2008 marks the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. These were seven joint debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 senatorial election campaign in Illinois. The main theme of the debates was slavery, especially the issue of slavery's expansion into the territories. Although Lincoln lost the election, these debates launched him into national prominence which eventually led to his election as President of the United States.

Books and Audios

973.5 LIN
Speeches and Writings: Speeches, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates by Abraham Lincoln

973.68 GUE
Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America by Allen C. Guelzo

973.68 LIN
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates by Abraham Lincoln

973.68 SIG
The American Conscience: The Drama of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates by Saul Sigelschiffer

Biography DOUGLAS, S.
Stephen A. Douglas, Defender of the Union by Gerald Mortimer Capers

Cassette 808.85 GRE
The Great Debates—Lincoln and Douglas

Websites

Lincoln Home National Historic Site
The full-text of each of the debates is available on this site.

Prepared by Bonnie Reid, September 2008