Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Alton
CITY:
Alton
COUNTY:
Madison
DEDICATED BY:
Greater Alton Chamber of Commerce and The Illinois State Historical Society
DEDICATION DATE:
April 1, 2007 at 5:00:00 AM
The marker is located in Alton near the riverfront, in a small park where Broadway intersects with Market Street.
The seventh and last debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas of the 1858 US Senatorial Campaign, was held at this site on October 15. A crowd estimated at between five and ten thousand people gathered in front of the old City Hall to hear the two candidates. The debates received National Attention, with Lincoln campaigning on an antislavery platform and Douglas on one of States’ Rights. Douglas defeated Lincoln for the Senate seat, but, two years later, in 1860, was defeated by Lincoln for the Presidency.