Lincoln-Douglas Debate Podcasts

This election season marks the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and to mark the occasion two noted Lincoln scholars are making available a series of podcasts on the debates.

Titled "The Real Issue: The Real Debates," the podcasts feature Rodney Davis and Douglas Wilson, the directors of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College in Illinois. Both men have written extensively on Lincoln, and they intend to publish a new book with the texts of all seven Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

There are eight podcasts in the series, one for each debate plus a summary. Lincoln and Douglas debated for hours at a time, but the podcasts, usually in less than ten minutes, provide background on the issues as well as the strategies of the two political heavyweights. Some local color is also injected, such as descriptions of the crowds, the weather, and even the riverboats and wagons people rode to get to the debates.

If you've always wondered why the Lincoln-Douglas Debates matter, this is a great opportunity to get a lively introduction to the political spectacles that changed America forever.

Image: Abraham Lincoln, August 1858, at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates/courtesy Library of Congress