Publisher Description
This star-studded recording brings to life a history-changing political battle.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates made history and changed its course through seven legendary match-ups between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Illinois senatorial race. Although he lost the election, Lincoln's gift for oratory and his antislavery stance made him a nationally known figure, and led to his election to the presidency in 1860. Never before presented in audio, these debates and great statesmen are brought to life by narrators Richard Dreyfuss (Douglas) and David Strathairn (Lincoln). The Lincoln-Douglas Debates provide a soundtrack to a nation discovering its better self.
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About the Authors
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was the sixteenth president of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He led the US through its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crises—the American Civil War—preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government, and modernizing the economy. Reared in a poor family in rural Indiana, he was a self-educated man. In the 1830s he became a country lawyer, a Whig Party leader, and Illinois state legislator. He later served as a one-term member of the House of Representatives during the 1840s.
Stephen Douglas
(1813–1861) was a US Representative, Senator, and Democratic Party presidential
nominee from Illinois. He lost the election to Abraham Lincoln.
About the Narrators
David Strathairn was nominated for an Oscar for his 2005 performance as famed CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck. He is well-known for memorable performances in stage and screen roles.
Richard Dreyfuss
is an Academy Award–winning actor who has appeared in such blockbuster films as
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
and Jaws. In 1977 he became the
youngest man to win the Oscar for Best Actor, which he won for his performance
in The Goodbye Girl. He also appeared
in Stand by Me, What about Bob?, The American
President, and Mr. Holland’s Opus,
among many other films.