and her best friend was lyman trumbell's wife, and she never spoke to her again. she held it against her. douglas -- >> host: oh, douglas. >> guest: douglas, the little giant, the senator from illinois, is most powerful figure from illinois. he's on the national stage. he is young. he is already run for president in 1852. he is not even -- run when hi is 37 years old. 1852. a meteor. lincoln is envious of him. says his acolossus and i walk underneath his legs. he has been his rival for decades and has been attacking him for decades. they have rival newspapers in springfield. editorials flying back and forth. and lincoln feels completely insignificant. douglas is everything and then douglas blows up the world because his ambition is thwarted. he has run for president, didn't get the nomination. he wants the nomination, in 1856. so he needs to do something enormous. he wants to build a transcontinental railroad across the united states, get credit for it. he also wants to make money off it, and he has bought land in dubuque, iowa, and he made a lot of money off the

and lyman's son all of whom were involved in -- lyman was involved in temperance but they'll be involved in trying to improve the american society wily in with a goal of bringing god's law to bear in the community which they lev -- live. someone creates a better society. what i think is intriguing is coming from this time period, because i this i as you listen you'll see how much they apply to our current moment. finney said this on social and political involvement "the promotion of public and private order and happiness is one of the indispensable means of saving souls. so in finney's mind improving society wasn't just bringing in the kingdom or benevolent work, it was just creating an atmosphere in which the gospel. it was driven by the gospel. secondly, this is more telling by our time period, this is from henry cowells, it relates to nomination for the presidency. men are put in nomination for president, how few care to inquire whether they are licentious or not, whether they are for virtue or no virtue, for moral purity or no moral purity it's a small affair for most voters. it's in

. >> today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has it all from lyman, south carolina. >>r: this morning we have you fully covered on all things eclipse. first want to say this -- if you live in one of these cities and towns right in the eclipse path, you are cashing in. people are charging crazy amounts of money, they're even renting out their back yards because hotels are sold out, for tourists to camp out. this tent, for example, in this back yard, they'll give you the tent for $320 to camp out with your family. people are even making money by selling those special solar eclipse glasses you need. and by the way, speaking of the glasses, you need to use these to watch the eclipse safely. experts say there are counter fits out there now. how are you supposed to know if yours are safe? this morning, we have you covered to keep you're family safe. on monday a rare solar eclipse visible from oregon to south carolina. but don't look up just yet without approved eclipse sunglasses like you can actually go blind. that's why officials are sounding the alarm that counterfeiters a

you see beacher and lyman and his son, who were involved in temperance but involved in trying to improve the american society we live in, with a goal of bringing god's law to bear in the community in which they live. that manifests itself in things i talked about, temperance, asylum reform, even in education reform. their goal is to create a better society. what i think is intriguing, coming from this time period because i think ôw÷ you listen o him you will see how much they apply to our current moment. finney said this on social and political involvement. the promotion and public order and happiness is one of the indispensable means of saving souls. in finney's mind improving society was not just bringing in the kingdom or ben he have lenlt works, but creating an atmosphere in which the gospel could go forth. i want to emphasize that piece to much of the social and political involvement following the second great awakening. it was driven by the gospel. secondly, and it is more telling for our time period i think, from henry cowells. men are put in nomination for president. how few -- t

although one skeptic, lyman beecher, said, "more souls were probably begotten than saved in those camp meetings." i don't know what that means. but i'll let you -- let you think on that. so those are some of the spiritual effects. what were the political effects? and that's sort of what i want to focus on a little bit more. first i think there was a burgeoning sense of national identity that arose. remember scholars calling this the first national media event. secondly, there's a lexicon that affects political rhetoric in later decades that is developed. and thirdly, i'll just mention this one, the carp meetings evidently served as models for early political party nominating conventions. i don't want to make too much hay of that. but this is -- this appears now regularly in political science scholarly literature. so let's look at this sense of national identity. the revivalism that moved all up and down the colonies tied churches together without denominational affiliations and it broke down geographical barriers. it provided a common discourse. it gave new models of public speaking. h