On this date

On August 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas held their opening debate in Ottawa, Illinois. An estimated 10,000–12,000 people attended in the small town, creating a large outdoor crowd under what are described as hot, dusty conditions. It was the first of seven debates between the two. Compared to today, these were brutal.

Each debate followed a fixed structure lasting about three hours:  

Opening:    60 minutes

Response: 90 minutes

Rebuttal:    30 minutes

Large crowds attended, and the full texts were widely published in newspapers, giving the exchanges a national audience. Lincoln was fairly unknown; Douglas was the incumbent. At the point of the debates, the Republican Party had been formed just four years before, breaking away from the Whig Party.

The debates focused overwhelmingly on slavery, especially whether it should be allowed to expand into the western territories acquired through the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican Cession. Lincoln did not gain the Senate seat, which at the time was determined by state legislatures, predominantly democrat in Illinois then.  But the debates elevated Lincoln to national prominence and helped set the stage for his 1860 presidential victory against Douglas. 

One of Lincoln’s most famous quotes comes from the debates, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I suspect we could learn more about candidates with this type of debate format, but I’m pretty certain people seeking a message in a thirty second sound bite would be able to handle it. 

The 1860 field was more than the two of them. In the popular vote, Lincoln received about 39.8% and Douglas about 29.5%. In the Electoral College, it wasn’t close at all. Lincoln won the Electoral College decisively with 180 electoral votes; Douglas received only 12 electoral votes.