We hope that you have enjoyed our Debate topic.  We also hope that it has inspired some of you to do further research on the Lincoln - Douglas Debates.  Superhero Historians could have spent an entire year on this topic.  These debates have gone into the myth of United States history.  There is a good reason that they stand as legend: the importance of the topic and the time, the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, and the reflection of what the United States is really about.  The debates also reflect something important about politics.  Despite the rivalry, Douglas came to the side of Lincoln during his tenure as president.  Saving the Union became more important than rivalry.

Lincoln lost his campaign against Douglas.  However, he won the presidential campaign against Douglas.

Sources:

The Lincoln - Douglas Debates by Frank L. Denis
The Lincoln - Douglas Debates.  The First Complete Unexpurgated Text edited with introduction by Harold Holzer
The American Conscience.  The Drama of the Lincoln - Douglas Debates by Saul Schiffer
The Library of Congress
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Bartleby
Abraham Lincoln Historical
Digitization Project
And thank you to each debate town and to Harold Holzer.