At Charleston, Lincoln again got the opportunity to take the stage first.  Remember that they alternated speaking first, with Douglas speaking first at both the initial debate and at the final debate.  Lincoln used this opportunity to distance himself from a position of wanting equality between blacks and whites.  Although Lincoln detested slavery, he did not think that the two races were equal.  This view changed over time, but during the debates he still held it.  He held it during the debates.  He thought it necessary to state it because it was a popular view in Illinois at that time.  Lincoln also attempted to catch Douglas off guard by driving right at his stance on “popular sovereignty.” Lincoln stated that Douglas defied “popular sovereignty” by supporting a Kansas constitution that did not allow people in the territory to vote yes or no on slavery.  Lincoln spent much of his opening reading from a speech by Senator Trumbull, which outlined Douglas’ push for the Kansas constitution.

Douglas, being an experienced debater, went right back at Lincoln.  Right back at him.  He questions why, since these charges were made before the last presidential election, Trumbull had not kept up the accusations during recent campaigning.  Douglas then hit Lincoln with a big blow.  A very big blow.  He wondered why Lincoln would use his opening time by basically reciting someone else’s speech.  “I thought I was running against Abraham Lincoln, that he claimed to be my opponent, had challenged me to a discussion of the public questions of the day with him, and was discussing these questions with me; but it turns out that his only hope is to ride into office on Trumbull’s back, who will carry him by falsehood.” Douglas then recharged that Lincoln and Trumbull conspired to unite the Democrats and Whigs as Republicans.  More than halfway through the debates, they were heating up.  Heating up big time.

The debate text is linked here, thanks to Bartleby.