How did the Senate contest in Illinois come to national attention?
Though Lincoln and Douglas spoke off the cuff, not from prepared speeches, their debates were the first ever to be taken down in shorthand. Newspapers from around the country then printed every one of the seven three-hour-long debates-every word of them-and added comments and opinions. Soon, the whole country was talking about the debates. Later, Lincoln had them published in a book, and it became a best-seller. Douglas was already famous. But these debates made Lincoln famous, too. Douglas was known as “The Little Giant.” Now Lincoln became, to many Republicans, the “Giant Killer.” Can you describe the atmosphere of the debates: crowds, fanfare, publicity, etc.? The debates took place over several months, and in very different parts of Illinois. So crowds were sometimes as large as 20,000, or as small as 3,000. Sometimes the weather was hot, sometimes freezing. But each debate was a huge event. Crowds came from all over, on horseback, in wagons, in boats, by railroad, or on foot. Many
