| A House Dividing: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 Contributor(s): Berry, Stephen (Author) |
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ISBN: 0199389969 ISBN-13: 9780199389964 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $18.98 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2015 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - History | United States - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 973.709 |
| LCCN: 2015008199 |
| Physical Information: 0.2" H x 6" W x 9.1" (0.45 lbs) 120 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A House Dividing: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 updates the Lincoln-Douglas debates for the sound-bite era. Instead of 100,000 words, this volume in the Dialogues in History series gives students 20,000 words from the debates. Rather than long, uncontested ramblings, it offers rapid-fire accusations and responses. Despite their reputations as intellectual heavyweights, Lincoln and Douglas were not above mudslinging; their arguments prove surprisingly studded with ad hominem attacks, political grandstanding, and gross appeals to the candidates' respective bases. Historians generally agree on Civil War causality: a disagreement over the right of slaveholding in the territories caused secession; a disagreement over the right of secession caused the Civil War. A House Dividing places these political disagreements at the center of the narrative. Watching the cut-and-thrust of past political theater draws students into discussions of the continued importance of the political process as the place where the national agenda is set and executed. |