Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Boyer, 2008)

Despite the acclaim he gained in the North for his stand against the Lecompton constitution, Douglas faced a stiff challenge in Illinois for reelection to the United States Senate. Of his Republican opponent, Abraham Lincoln, Dougals said: "I shall have my hands full. He is the strong man of his party - full of wit, facts, dates - and the best stump speaker with his droll ways and dry jokes, in the West.' Physically as well as ideologically, the two men formed a striking contrast. Tall (6'4") and gangling, Abraham Lincoln once described himself as 'a piece of floating driftwood...' Douglas was fully a foot shorter than the towering Lincoln. But his compact frame contained astonishing energy.