The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (With Introduction and Notes)

I have not opened the debates yet . I plan to use them on my trip next month. I have heard only parts at this point

This is absolutely great. The listener needs a little history background which may be lacking from the current government schools. Compare the delivery and language to what were essentially "country rubes" to today's excuse for debates. No fifteen second sound bites or two minute responses. I have a third grade reader from the early 20th century and the contrast with current expectations is striking. The dramatic reading and background information flesh this out nicely. It is as if you are present. Love it.

I applaud this effort. This is an absolutely brilliant idea! The production is really fine, but I do think that Lincoln's high squeeking voice, and Douglas' developed slurring, would have added to the sensation of having actually been there. And the frequent crowd comments (actually recorded by the rival stenographers), could have been added by other actors, instead of a narrator. And a few minutes of scene-setting by a narrator, about the weather, the location, the preparations of the site, and any pertinent information about the audience, would have been appreciated.Again, though, I really do applaud this effort!

It is so foolish of books like this to call Lincoln a racist. The man was a politician, he could have never have been elected President if he did not say that he believed whites to be superior. And that is the reason he said those things. If he really felt that way, why would he even come out and say it, why not keep it to himself then? He said it because he HAD to say it, not because he believed it. Get real, its called politics. He had to say it to end slavery, and he was on a mission to do that, even though he could not come out and say it if he wanted to win. . Obama too said things he did not believe to get elected, and he has admit it.Not only that, but Lincoln had his back up against the wall, Stephen Douglas was rabble-rousing crowds, every chance that he could do it he was telling crowds that Lincoln wanted to make blacks equal in every respect, this was totally unacceptable to mobs in 1860, and we all KNOW IT! Douglas tried to exploit the backwards feelings that people had back then (feelings that many people still have). Lincoln could have refused to say some of the things he did, but he would not have gotten elected and been given the opportunity to end slavery as he did unless he did say that white people were superior to people who were then slaves. . We are lucky he said it I believe, even though he did not believe it

This is Primary Source stuff.To understand the background you have to read a biography of Stephen Douglas and a good book on Bleeding Kansas (I recommend Nicole Etcheson's 2004 book "Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era")And that's assuming you have a background in Lincoln.