Title: The Little Men Behind the Curtain: The Committees, Connectors, and Carpenters Who Made the Lincoln-Douglas Debates Happen
Abstract: The Lincoln-Douglas debates were first of all a great political celebration in Illinois politics of the 1850s. In that role, they provide us a window into political practice in that decade. Altshuler and Blumin characterize the era as a time when politics in the United States were the domain of party elites. Testing their thesis against the debates reveals a much more finely textured structure around the debates. The debates show a constant shuttling of power and control back-and-forth between the political public and the structures of party, and sometimes even the structures within the parties. Political engagement in 1858 Illinois took on a number of forms as citizens oriented their political lives to the debates that captured the attention of the state.
Publication Year: 2010
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot