The First Lincoln-Douglas Debate - Ottawa, IL - Illinois Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

From the marker:

On August 21, 1858, the first of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and US Senator Stephen A. Douglas took place in this park. Approximately 10,000 people gathered to hear the two candidates discuss the question of slavery in America. Candidate Lincoln rebuffed attempts to portray him as an abolitionist, one advocating the immediate emancipation of all slaves in the US. Although Lincoln said he personally believed slavery was morally wrong, he maintained that the institution was protected by the Constitution. Senator Douglas, however, refused to address the morality of slavery. He insisted that the people in the individual states should be allowed to decide the question for themselves. Lincoln lost the election, but two years later he and Douglas were rivals again in the Presidential race. Two other Democratic candidates who favored slavery, John Bell and John C. Breckenridge, entered the race and took votes that probably would have gone to Douglas. His opposition fractured, Lincoln won a majority in the Electoral College with a minority of the popular vote and became our 16th President.

Sponsored by the LaSalle County Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society.
October 2007

County: LaSalle Historical Society: LaSalle County Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society Dedication Date: October 2007 Location: Washington Park Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:

To log your visit please include the following:

• A picture of the marker. Including yourself in the picture would be nice but not required.
• Tell about your experience, thoughts, knowledge of the site or anything else you feel you want to share about your visit.

Reminder: In Waymarking, it is not bad etiquette to log your own Waymark. Please feel free log a visit for any marker you submit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/22/2020 adgorn visited it 09/09/2012 frog1962 visited it 02/11/2011 Death squared visited it 07/07/2010 Marwood5 visited it

View all visits/logs