Speaking of Presidents
While the third Monday in February is a day to honor present and past presidents of the United States, we’re recognizing Abraham Lincoln. The official state slogan of Illinois is “Land of Lincoln.”
Abraham Lincoln lived in Illinois until he became president in 1861. But the path to the presidency started in 1858 with a series of formal, political debates in Illinois between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, the incumbent, for a U.S. Senate seat.
The two candidates debated seven times. The National Park Service informs us that in each debate either Douglas or Lincoln would open with an hour-long address. The other would then speak for an hour and a half. The first candidate then had 30 minutes of rebuttal.
Each debate lasted three hours. And each candidate had to have a position, clearly articulate it, and coherently defend it! If you want an immersive experience of the contrast between then and now, you can read the full texts of all the speeches here.
Although Lincoln lost the senatorial election, these debates launched him into national prominence, and that eventually led to his election as president.
The reason you can find this information on the National Park Service (NPS) website is that the first and only home Lincoln ever owned, along with the surrounding buildings, is the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Ill.
Lincoln admirers -- not content with the four square blocks in Springfield -- also may visit the Looking for Lincoln national heritage area, comprising 43 Illinois counties. Alas, Cook County is not one of them.
But, you know where you can always go to get more information on Lincoln? Right – the library! You could read biographies, histories, or fictionalized accounts. The Chicago Public Library has nearly 1,500 books and other materials about Abraham Lincoln for children and adults.
In addition, Chicago Public Library’s Special Collections includes fascinating materials such as letters and diaries related to Lincoln, soldiers, and leaders from Illinois about slavery and the Civil War. For a rare look at Lincoln and the Civil War, explore the American Civil War Documents, Manuscripts, Letters and Diaries and Grand Army of the Republic Collections.
Further documentation of the Civil War appears in ephemera, songs and poems, patriotic envelopes, and currency. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Wayne Whalen Digital Archive of the Grand Army of the Republic and Civil War Collections.
By Lee Price
Communications Committee
Friends of the Edgewater Library
Additional Resources Available at CPL
Book photos shown above courtesy of the CPL website
Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America by Allen C. Guelzo
Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded In A Divided America by Steve Inskeep