Textbook
Paul Boyer, Todd & Curti’s: The American Nation (Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1995), 352.
Seeking statewide exposure, Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of seven debates between August and October 1858. Douglas accepted the challenge but acknowledged that Lincoln was 'the best stump speaker in the West.' Throngs of people turned out in seven Illinois towns to hear the two men debate the issues of the day.