The last, good, repugliken (and they shot him)

Lincoln-Douglas Debates begin

1858: This day marked the beginning of the famous debates in Illinois between Abraham Lincoln, Republican Party nominee for the U.S. Senate, and incumbent Senator Stephen A. Douglas of the Democratic Party. Lincoln in his acceptance speech said that “A house divided against itself cannot stand” and “this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” Douglas thereupon attacked Lincoln as a radical who threatened the continued stability of the Union. Lincoln, who opposed Douglas's support of popular sovereignty, challenged Douglas to a series of three-hour debates, and the two eventually agreed to hold joint encounters in seven Illinois congressional districts.