The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Here are excerpts from a 1940 dramatization of Lincoln's debates with Stephen A. Douglas. They capture well the atmosphere as well as the substance of the arguments, which were transcribed by the press and published nationwide during a campaign that captured the country's attention and made Lincoln a national figure.
Early in Lincoln's rebuttal to Douglas here, you will hear him assert that, "in some respects," a Black "is certainly not my equal." In fact, Lincoln elaborated on this view, especially in the debates in southern Illinois, a region populated by many whites who had left the South not because they opposed slavery, but because they hated Blacks and did not want to live in their vicinity. These statements remind us that Lincoln was a political animal and could tailor his message for its audience. But a careful reading of Lincoln's words shows that even before the most conservative crowds, he consistently asserted that "there is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enunciated in the Declaration of Independence: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the White man." Probably because of such statements, Lincoln lost the election. Even so, he had cleared a road on which he was already moving toward the White House and, from there, to Gettysburg.
Source: Abe Lincoln of Illinois (1940); the quote is from Garry Wills' Lincoln at Gettysburg (1992), p. 100.

[@JY-bw2qz]

This Lincoln guy should run for President

[@SakutoNoSAI]

Yeah, but he's a Republican; today, they might try to impeach him or kill him.

[@avatale8612]

Your here cause your social studies teacher put this in the projector and you wanna watch it again

[@trepbellafonte8598]

You are wrong. I'm here because the Honorable Minister Farrakahn mentioned the debates while exposing Lincoln for the racist he was.

[@lukeventers4755]

@@trepbellafonte8598 Wrong. And there's nothing "honorable" about L.F.

[@trepbellafonte8598]

@@lukeventers4755 , that's admirable admitting you are wrong. Who is Lester Frank?

[@thighmathematician6673]

wrong. history teacher lmao

[@_jori.05]

I just forgot to do the exit ticket 😖

[@jackbuckley7816]

Great re-creation of history. You'll notice Douglas appearing to get a little-nervous there as Lincoln speaks. He realizes the man's philosophical-musings are both soul & conscience-stirring. The Little Giant, Douglas, was a magnificent-nationalist but was becoming a little too backward-looking, no-longer wholly in-sync with a population becoming increasingly-dissatisfied & impatient with talk of sectional-compromise. As Lincoln said, "we must become all one-thing or another. A house divided against itself cannot stand." Douglas was an excellent-orator, though, nonetheless.

[@maxbenard472]

Thank God for Abraham Lincoln

[@Farrukhsiyar159]

When this film was made, Whites & Blacks were still segregated.

[@rustyshackleford6849]

This reenactment is closer chronologically to the real Lincoln-Douglas debates than to today

[@josephmbulu5300]

Vote for President Lincoln

[@kenlandon6130]

Not sure why this clip starts with Battle Cry of Freedom, which wasn't written until 1862.

[@austinloui9075]

I love the colonial talk here. Sounds so crisp

[@kenlandon6130]

Colonial?

[@redact2186]

This Lincoln guy seems pretty cool

[@paddle_shift]

You shouldn't have cut off Lincolns start where he replies to Douglass joke about daggers. Also cut off most of Lincolns (Raymond Massey) reply. Strange.

[@iamnotanuggetblackhart5103]

Sounds about WHITE....

[@amkrause2004]

th-cam.com/video/XkFDkViA_-g/w-d-xo.html Here's a better version

[@The_Bean_Head_Men]

Ben brought me here.

[@jasonmaclean719]

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

[@The_Bean_Head_Men]

@@jasonmaclean719 lest we forget

[@damarissargent934]

Lincoln should have dropped the mic

[@oohweeoohwee9222]

Trust me, they didn't say negros back then.

[@podunkest]

Pretty sure this is an exact transcript of the Lincoln Douglas debates, part of it anyway. Abraham Lincoln himself took great pain to make the transcript as accurate as possible because he wanted himself to be perfectly understood.

[@kenlandon6130]

It was used pretty frequently. The actual n word was used far more commonly, but still frowned upon in polite society. Now, advocating for racial equality by modern standards? That would get you shunned from polite society the same way using the n word would now.

[@africankaleab360]

Jesus is Lord. Jesus is King. True Christianity is the Truth. Pray to Him and Honor Mary. Have faith in Him. 2021 will be your year.

[@GigaDonk99]

No, Christianity is bad for your brain. Stop proselytizing.

[@lukeventers4755]

@@GigaDonk99 Wrong. Stop embarrassing yourself.

[@admiralsturgeon]

i reject christ

[@user-en9nx7jj8y]

Jesus is not a God, but he is a prophet or messenger

[@flyingchimp12]

The acting is annoying me