Talk:Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858
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[edit] NOT to protect slave owners?
This doesn't make sense. Why would Douglas, who is supporting the South's views, not want to protect slave owners? If the person who wrote this article would come forth and explain this, I would be very thankful. If I was a Southerner and Congress was trying to pass a law that protected slave owners from being prosecuted in the North and protected slave owners from having their slaves taken away while in the North, I would definately support it. (Just so you know, I don't support slavery) --CherryT 00:38, 26 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Obscure Details
I need some confirmation on some original research before considering adding it: My Great-Grandfather attended one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, but no one recalls exactly which one it was. It would have been the closest to Southern IL, so I'm thinking maybe Alton. He reported that, as there was no PA system, Lincoln and Douglas stood atop hay bales in a hay wagon, and the audience sat on the slope of a hill in front of them. The crowd was large, so Lincoln and Douglas spoke in very short sentences. After each sentence, "callers" in the crowd would shout their words back into the crowd, to be picked up by another caller, until the sentence reached the back of the audience. Not to be too irreverent here, but it does remind me of the system used in Python's Life of Brian, and leads me to wonder if some voters in the back of the audience voted on the basis of "Blessed are the Cheesemakers" or similar ;-) --Kathryn NicDhàna 20:46, 10 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Time for a Major Re-edit?
It seems to me this article is need of some serious revision by someone with a more profound knowledge of the subject (which excludes me!). As it stands, certain parts are unclear and vague and there are spelling and grammatical errors.Brutus cassius 09:09, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Added missing sentence to Lincoln quote.
The paragraph quoted from Lincoln's speeh, as originally cited, showed only Lincoln's disclaimer of racial equality: a necessary concession to the feelings of the audience. It omitted the peroration, in which Lincoln eloquently proclaimed the right of negroes to be free, not slaves exploited for the benefit of others - to be in that respect "the equal of every living man."
I have added that sentence, taking the text from http://www.nps.gov/archive/liho/debate1.htm, the National Park Service's website for the "Lincoln Home". --Rich Rostrom 04:55, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] (Replaced or rewrote sketchy material.)
This article was a mess. Several errors, and the discussion of the fifth debate was a sketchy garble.
I replaced it; also rewrote the Intro and the Results section.
The internal entry for the second debate was misssing.
--Rich Rostrom 07:59, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
