In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was known as a successful Illinois lawyer
who had achieved some prominence in state politics as a leader in
the new Republican Party. Two years later, he was elected president
and was on his way to becoming the greatest chief executive in
American history.
What carried this one-term congressman from obscurity to fame
was the campaign he mounted for the United States Senate against
the country's most formidable politician, Stephen A. Douglas, in
the summer and fall of 1858. Lincoln challenged Douglas directly in
one of his greatest speeches -- "A house divided against itself
cannot stand" -- and confronted Douglas on the questions of slavery
and the inviolability of the Union in seven fierce debates. As this
brilliant narrative by the prize-winning Lincoln scholar Allen
Guelzo dramatizes, Lincoln would emerge a predominant national
figure, the leader of his party, the man who would bear the burden
of the national confrontation.
Of course, the great issue between Lincoln and Douglas was
slavery. Douglas was the champion of "popular sovereignty," of
letting states and territories decide for themselves whether to
legalize slavery. Lincoln drew a moral line, arguing that slavery
was a violation both of natural law and of the principles expressed
in the Declaration of Independence. No majority could ever make
slavery right, he argued.
Lincoln lost that Senate race to Douglas, though he came close
to toppling the "Little Giant," whom almost everyone thought was
unbeatable. Guelzo's Lincoln and Douglas brings alive their debates
and this whole year of campaigns and underscores their centrality
in the greatest conflict in American history.
The encounters between Lincoln and Douglas engage a key question
in American political life: What is democracy's purpose? Is it to
satisfy the desires of the majority? Or is it to achieve a just and
moral public order? These were the real questions in 1858 that led
to the Civil War. They remain questions for Americans today.
General
| Imprint: |
Simon & Schuster
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
Simon & Schuster Lincoln Library |
| Release date: |
2009 |
| First published: |
2009 |
| Authors: |
Allen C Guelzo
|
| Dimensions: |
231 x 152 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
416 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-7432-7321-3 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-7432-7321-4 |
| Barcode: |
9780743273213 |
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