A Stephen Douglas Major Date Today, August 21, 1858

Can you guess what happened this date 162 years ago?

It involved another man.

It had to do with politics.

It had to do with who was going to be the next Illinois U.S. senator.

This was the first of seven.

Okay, it was a debate.

Got it yet?

Today in 1858 the Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas held the  first of their seven debates.

It was held in Ottawa, Illinois.  Lincoln said that popular sovereignty would nationalize and perpetuate slavery.

Douglas went on to win the election in November where the voting was done in the state legislature even though overall Lincoln received 3,000 more popular votes in the general election.

--Old Secesh