Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: No Exam

In this seminar, we’ll do a close reading of the full text of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858.  Our focus will be on the modes and effectiveness of the arguments as well as their substance.  At the same time, we’ll consider the political context of the debates by reading selections from two books by Kenneth Stampp – America in 1857 and And the War Came – in order not only to better understand the debates, but also to appreciate the essential turbulence of history enveloping politics and law: Neither they nor we know what is going to happen!

Students will share responsibility for leading our discussions as well as participating actively in them. At the end of the semester, they will write a short paper analyzing their experience in the seminar.