For the People
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AFF Neoowslerrtte r ottf thhe Aeebra h aPmP Lieencoooln Appssoclliaeteion V ol ume 7, Numb er 4 Wi n ter 2005 Spr i n g f i el d, I l l i n oi s The Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas Joint Debates and the Communication of the Newspaper By Philip Silberman * the first debate at Ottawa, twelve thou - and Douglas in Ottawa, Twelve Thou - n the modern day, television and sand people gathered in the public park sand Persons Present, The Dred Scott 3 the Internet are the main sources of where it was held. In the second debate Champion Pulverized.” It followed information to people throughout at Freeport, fifteen thousand people with a short synopsis of the debate as Ithe United States. However, in 1858, attended, this in a town with a popula - well as verbatim speeches from both during the famous Lincoln-Douglas tion of about five thousand at the time. Douglas and Lincoln. The reason Dou - Debates, the newspaper was the only In Jonesboro, the smallest crowd came glas was said to have lost was because engine of mass communication. The at two thousand people. Twelve thou - of Chicago’s large number of Republi - debates were covered by many national sand attended at Charleston, sixteen can and generally abolitionist popula - and local newspapers and propelled thousand at Galesburg, twelve thou - tion. The publishing of the speeches Abraham Lincoln into the national sand at Quincy, and six thousand at was an important aspect of the article, 2 spotlight. Lincoln, although losing the Alton. The Alton crowd, however, however. When a person in Chicago, senatorial race, became known all over contained many people from the state or anywhere else, read the newspaper the country because of the newspaper of Missouri, providing further evidence and read Lincoln’s speeches, they reports and accounts, and two years of the effectiveness of the mass press. would communicate Lincoln’s ideas later was nominated for the presidency. To understand the exact communica - and his popularity would be spread, The debates, and the communication tion used, specific articles should be even if they did not necessarily agree of them by the newspapers on both a looked at from the larger debates, with him and his policies. The publish - local and national scale, are what gave specifically, the debates at Ottawa, ing of the speeches, especially the Lincoln the popularity he needed to Freeport, and Alton. Ottawa ones, was a key part in the win the presidential nomination as well The first debate took place at spread of Lincoln’s popularity. The as the presidency itself. Ottawa on August 21, 1858, in the Ottawa speeches are important because In late July 1858, Abraham Lin - confines of a public park. The area was Lincoln had the advantage throughout coln, a relatively unknown lawyer, chal - mainly abolitionist Republican territo - the crowd and technically won the lenged the incumbent senator, Stephen ry, giving Lincoln the advantage. Of debate. This is further proven in the Douglas, to a series of joint debates the twelve thousand people that second headline. across the state of Illinois. Douglas reported to the debate, many of them The second headline was also from accepted the challenge and the two were from Chicago and had taken the Chicago Daily Press and Tribune two agreed on seven locations, Freeport, advantage of the cheap railroad rates days after the debate. The headline Ottawa, Galesburg, Quincy, Alton, from the city. It was even published in read: “Rich and Rare Development, Jonesboro, and Charleston. Newspa - the newspaper, about how cheap the The Back-Bone and Muscle of Dou - pers would also publish each debate, railroad would be. On August 18 and glas’ Ottawa Speech Proved to be a Lie 4 many using the verbatim speeches of again on August 21, times for a special and a Fraud.” This is what helped to the candidates. An important part of train to and from Ottawa were listed, cement Lincoln’s victory to the public the newspapers though, was that they and prices were cut in half because of eye. The article established Lincoln as brought people into the audience. The the occasion. This communication was the clear victor over Douglas. Again, Chicago Times specifically headlined: important in the attendance of the the exact speeches of both men were “An Audience Wanted” on July 30, debate and, in turn, in conveying Lin - published. Now, though, Lincoln was 1 1858 for the upcoming debates. The coln’s ideas and spreading his popular - seen as a strong candidate, not simply power of the newspaper advertisement ity. The Chicago Daily Press and Tribune an insignificant lawyer from Spring- is evident when looking at the number had two separate reports concerning field. Another part in the article that of people that attended the debates. In this debate with the headline: “Lincoln continued on page 4 2 For the People Lincoln: The Lawyer 17 By Rachel Doherty * but that was all.” He did not start study - Truett was acquitted. This trial was n a stormy night in Hardin ing law until after the 1834 election. very helpful to Lincoln’s law career County, Kentucky, on February During the election his future partner because it showed, for the first time, 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln John T. Stuart commented to him that how powerfully and persuasively he 10 Owas born. He was the son of a Kentucky he should study law. could perform before a jury. frontiersman and grew up in a In the fall of 1836 he received his Perhaps his most famous case, how - respectable home. His father owned law license. The following year, on ever, was the Duff Case. In this case, he 586 1/2 acres of farmland, two lots in March 1, Lincoln was admitted to the defended William “Duff” Armstrong 1 11 Elizabethtown, and some livestock. Illinois Bar. He was twenty-nine at the on a murder charge in 1858. Duff was Lincoln looked up to and respected his time and had been living in Illinois for the son of an old friend of Lincoln, who mother, having said: “All that I am, or seven years. There were four judges who was now dead. The entire case rested on hope to be, I owe it all to my angel had admitted Lincoln to the Bar, and the eyewitness Charles Allen. Allen 2 mother.” Unfortunately Lincoln’s they were William Wilson, Samuel D. claimed he saw Duff kill James Metzler mother died when he was just ten years Lockwood, Theophilus W. Smith, and by the light from the full moon at about old. He was named after his grandfa - Thomas C. Browne. Three years later, eleven o’clock, at about 150 feet away. ther, Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lin - on December 9, 1839, Judge Nathaniel Lincoln appeared quite confident about coln Jr. did not know his grandfather Pope admitted Lincoln to practice in the this case, for during Allen’s testimony, 12 well though, and has said: “I don’t United States Circuit Court System. he stared at the ceiling, bored and unim - know who my grandfather was, but I As a young lawyer Lincoln quite pressed. When the time came for him to am more concerned to know who my often worried his client. He did not cross-examine Allen, he asked to use an 3 grandson will be.” argue over every little point, he was not almanac from 1857, and the judge Growing up Lincoln had a variety contentious, and he was flexible with allowed it. Lincoln then asked Allen to of jobs. At the age of nineteen he was minor points, not being bothered if he read out loud the entry for August 29, hired by James Gentry as bow hand and was wrong. He had good humor that 1857, the night of the murder. The made only eight dollars a month. He disarmed the jury, but made his clients truth that ended the case came right out left his home in early 1830 to move to fret that he was giving away too much of Allen’s mouth—there was no full New Salem, a tiny pioneer settlement information. Sometimes he would seem moon that night, nor was any part of 4 near Petersburg, Illinois. During the a bit surprised and slightly confused by the moon visible at eleven o’clock. The 18 winter of 1830 and 1831 Lincoln, Lin - a case, but sooner or later he would usu - jury found Duff not guilty. Lincoln 13 coln’s stepbrother John D. Johnson, and ally master it. Even so, if he found out won the case and did the entire thing for 19 John Hanks took a flatboat of produce during the course of a case that he was free. from Beardstown, Illinois, to New on the wrong side, he would lose all Lincoln’s honor as an advocate 14 Orleans. He was paid ten dollars a interest in it. before a jury was acknowledged by 5 month. The next summer he moved to Logan, in particular, was very other lawyers of his time as a very high 20 Sangamon County, where he lived for impressed with Lincoln’s unusual grasp order. He appeared as council in the 6 the next six years. He studied English of cases. William Herndon thought he Supreme Court of Illinois, the highest grammar when he was twenty-three. practiced best in the Supreme Court, court of the state, in some 175 cases, For a while he even considered becom - because those cases were never rushed something rarely achieved by any ing a blacksmith. In 1819, when asked or hurried.