While the U. S. presidential election of 1860 that elected Abraham Lincoln President is covered in basic history and the Lincoln-Douglas debates are mentioned, most are unaware of the long history of political rivalry between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The election of 1860 was an anomaly in that Lincoln was not even on the ballot in ten states and while Stephen Douglas finished fourth in electoral votes, he was second in the popular vote. The title of this book refers to the decades-long political rivalry between Lincoln and Douglas. For nearly all of that time, Douglas was a national political figure while Lincoln was largely a backwoods national unknown. The life history of each man and how he ended up in Illinois is covered. Lincoln was tall and gaunt while Douglas was short and stout. Both men were largely self-made and really weren’t that far apart on the issue of slavery. This is an excellent history book on what was a political rivalry that was intense, yet at times cordial. It mirrored the battle over slavery, where relatively small differences were magnified. In the end, Lincoln was the ultimate winner of the pursuit, achieving Douglas’ long sought goal of the presidency. In many ways, the outcome of a Lincoln victory in 1860 and a Civil War just seems to have been inevitable. Read full review
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