steven douglas of the lincoln/douglas debates he is going to be the democratic candidate in the 1860party splits over the is livery issue. steven douglas is vicious in attacking abraham lincoln because he says to lincoln you treat african-americans negroes as they were called then as if they were equals. they're not our equals. when he realizes the power of hadis rhetoric and the effect that it's having on his country, or our country, he shifts, not that he begins to embrace equality for all but he stops the attacks in the 1860 campaign. he recognized the power of rhetoric and how you can tear this country apart, if you say things without thinking. >> fascinating comparing it to today, right? >> i think so. >> fantastic. tim know thank you so much. i appreciate it. you can watch more of the political drama, the upcoming episode of ra"race for the whit house" tonight 10:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. moderated about ed by that voicu cannot mistake kevin spacey. >>> coming up next my interview with the billionaire head of a giant silicon valley of the company. surprising during the interview

douglas. >> steven a. douglas was among the most ruthless politicians of the day. >> and more importantly, probably the most important politician in the united states. >> i would call it david and goliath, but under the circumstance worth than that. david didn't even have a slingshot. >> douglas doesn't open on the issue of slavery. instead, he plays to the crowd. >> ladies and gentlemen, i do not question mr. lincoln's conscientious belief that the negro is his equal. but i do not regard the negro as my equal! >> douglas was not one to talk about legalizing slavery in the territory so much as he wants to paint lincoln as a pro negro politician. he is, in other words, playing the race card, and playing it in the most shameless fashion imaginable. >> but the prairie lawyer is not going to be deflected from his mission, to see the end of slavery in america. >> lincoln had always said that if slavery isn't wrong, then nothing is wrong. the slavery was horrendous. >> and i think it was because he hated the way

. >> his opponent, steven a. douglas. >> he was among the most ruthless politicians of the day. >> i would call it david and goliath, but it's worse than that. >> douglas plays to the crowd. >> ladies and gentlemen, i do not question mr. lincoln's con sh shcon shen, belief that the negro is a person, but i do not believe the negro is my people. >> douglas wants to paint lincoln as a pro-negro politici politician, he's playing the race card in the most shameless fashion imaginable. >> but lincoln wants to see the end of slavery in america. >> lincoln had always said that if slavery isn't wrong, then nothing is wrong. that slavery was horrendous. >> and i think it was because he hated the way his father had treated him, like a slave. because his father would yank him out of school, force him to go work on neighbors' farms, performing all kinds of back-breaking labor. >> there is no reason why the negro is not entitled to all the rights enumerated in the declaration of independence. >> when he invokes the declarati declarat

the one whose turn it was to become their presidential candidate, steven douglas got no support from the south, being from illinois, being totally distrusted, disliked, the father of kansas, nebraska which was complete failure. a horrible disaster. douglas got no support from the southern democrats. so there will be another convention in baltimore in june of 1860 where southerners would nominate their own democrat. the current vice president of the united states john c. breakenridge would become the democratic candidate. in the 1860 election, we were so divided that there would be four candidates and four parties running for president. lincoln and the republicans, douglas and the northern democrats, breakenridge and the southern democrats. and then an independent party, middle of the road party that would today appeal to what we refer to as independents, which would be a constitutional union party, led by a man from tennessee named john bell. for candidates. and there was no independent candidate would lincoln have been elected. abraham received in that election 39% of the popular vo

he called out steven douglas of illinois, northern democrat. and he also called out andrew butler, of south carolina. butler, remember, was a member of the f-street mess. one of those powerful southern democrats who forced franklin pierce at that time to support the kansas/nebraska act. two years later, sumner makes this speech in which he says, and i quote, that steven douglas, with was, quote, a noisome squat and in his next breath he insulted senator butler. he said of butler that he was, as having taken, quote, a mistress who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him. though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaised in his sight. i mean the harlot slavery. so, charles sumner just issued two major insults against two u.s. senators, to men of the opposite party. now, what this scene actually took place shows us is that the violence in the u.s. senate is starting to sxlaescalate. foote-benetton brawl was broken up. but a senator not mentioned in the speech but was a cousin -- in fact, a second cousin of andrew butler from the same t

the lincoln douglas debates are endlessly fascinating subject. steven a. douglas, lincoln's constant rival, even from the 1830s onward, ran for the senate against each other in 1858 and held a series of debates. douglas used the issue of race constantly and employed it in every possible way he could to take the advantage against lincoln and to deflect the issue of the extension of slavery. so it was race against slavery. lincoln made his statement at the southern most part of illinois during the debates. it was in i believe charleston, illinois. and he said -- he defended the rights of blacks as human beings under the declaration of independence but said che could not accept them as socially equal. that was more than a commonly head view. even most of the abolitionists held that view at the time. so we're dealing with a very different world than our world. and maybe we don't appreciate how much progress we have made. lincoln did that as a way to deal with the relentless racist arguments of douglas in those debates. and at the same time, try and make the arg

there is a huge party steven douglas and his wife conveneed inviting all of the peace delegates. there were 400 guest there it was said so it must have been a huge house. and henry adams, the son of charles adams, attended the party and invites one of his brothers and refers to steven douglas as a drunk and beast and ms. douglas as attractive but air headed. sar cassockally referring to john tyler as an old fossil and mocking the crowd twirling around him attaching their hope to him as deluded and soon to be disappointed. his father had a party for the peace conference delegates and hopefully his review of that party was more favorable. john tyler is imploring james buchanan to not flame the situation. the confederate government convenes the same day and the include confederate flag is put over the alabama state capitol by the grand daughter of john taylor. lincoln would soon be leaving springfield several days into the peace conference gives his famous farewell speech and he makes his journey to the midwest and northeast saying a vague non committal but being kept in formed abou

and steven douglas should have been ashamed of himself. >> watch more of the political drama in the upcoming of "race for the white house," tonight at 10:00 pm on cnn. >>> up next, we are on the eve of the ides of march. do you remember who was killed on it? we will take a new look at the most famous assassination in history. that of julius caesar and why it still resonates today. u stay up. you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future, we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped families just like yours with wills and living trusts. so when you're ready, start with us. doing the right thing has never been easier. legalzoom. legal help is here. a dry mouth can be a common side effect. that's why there's biotene. it comes in oral rinse, spray or gel, so there's moisturizing relief for everyone. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. try align for a non-stop,ive sweet-treat-goodness hold-onto-your-tiara, kind-of-day. live 24/7 with 24/7 digestive support. try ali

back in 1860 when abraham lincoln and steven douglas clashed, the race for the white house was as raucousmodern day politics. >> his weapon, race hate. >> he accuses lincoln of being in favor of race mixing, in favor of black equality, calls him a black republican. he calls him things far worse. >> you can watch more of the drama in the upcoming episode of "race for the white house" sunday night at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. that's it "the lead." i'm jake tapper. tune into "state of the union" this sunday morning. john kasich will join us. it all starts at 9:00 a.m. eastern. right now i turn you over to brianeannianna keilar next doore situation room." >>> happening now, dignity and division. opposite ends of the republican spectrum on display at the state funeral of nancy reagan and the rowdy donald trump campaign rally. the gop front-runner ordering multiple protesters thrown out. why are there security concerns surrounding trump's rally tonight? >>> odd endorsements. ben carson throws his support to donald trump and marco rubio urjds ohio voters to vote for their governor, j

>> winding up the declaration of independence on his side provides a formidable obstacle for steven douglasmble over. >> he is my equal. and the equal of judge douglas. >> lincoln argues that if slavery is allowed to spread into the new territories, it will lead to war. >> all right, don't miss race for the white house. that's tonight at 10:00 eastern here on cnn. all right, so ohio state university home to presidential politics, tonight. the stages are set for cnn's democratic town hall at mershawn auditorium, in the ohio student union, about two blocks from where i am now. and this very impressive arena will fill, and is already is u filling with supporters for bernie sanders. it doesn't take long to be reminded of the incredible athletic legacy of the buckeyes. eye found out as i -- as soon as i entered the shot ensteen center, i was greeted by the wall of hall of famers and among them, my dad, track and field olympic gold medallist mall whitfield. they were nice enough to give me paper and pencil to rub an edging and see the gorgeous mural of other osu athletes at the shottensteen arena

the one whose turn it was to become their presidential candidate, steven douglas got no support fromhe south, being from illinois, being totally distrusted, disliked, the father of kansas, nebraska which was complete failure. a horrible disaster. douglas got no support from the southern democrats. so there will be another convention in baltimore in june of 1860 where southerners would nominate their own democrat. the current vice president of the united states john c. breakenridge would become the democratic candidate. in the 1860 election, we were so divided that there would be four candidates and four parties running for president. lincoln and the republicans, douglas and the northern democrats, breakenridge and the southern democrats. and then an independent party, middle of the road party that would today appeal to what we refer to as independents, which would be a constitutional union party, led by a man from tennessee named john bell. for candidates. and there was no independent candidate would lincoln have been elected. abraham received in that election 39% of the popular vote