steven douglas.ouglas was the author of the ka kansas/nebraska act. >> everybody saw lincoln was a sacrificial lamb in that race. >> douglas spends a fortune. douglas had his own campaign train. the back of the train got a cannon on it. every time the train gets into a town, they set off the cannon as if to announce the great man has arrived. douglas is joined by big crowds where ever he campaigns. so lincoln begins to show up at douglas' speeches and rallies. he's getting bigger crowds than ever by campaigning at douglas' wake. >> so his advisers come up with an alternative. >> lincoln writes a letter that'll change his career and really changed politics. he challenges douglas to debates. here was a one time congressman, abraham lincoln, he was going to take on steven a. douglas. oh my goodness, you can hear the laughter. the fastest 5g in the world. available in parts of many cities. it's not just a great network. it's ridiculously fast. (vo) stream your favorite shows in ultra hd. i'm so excited a

he's getting bigger crowds than ever by campaigning in steven douglas' wake. >> the democratic press ncoln for appropriating the crowds. so he comes up with an alternative. >> he writes a letter that will change his career, and really change politics. >> he challenges douglas to debates. >> here was a one-time congressman, abraham lincoln, he was going to take on steven a. douglas? oh, my goodness, you could hear the laughter. (naj) at fisher investments, we do things differently and other money managers don't understand why. (money manager) because our way works great for us! (naj) but not for your clients. that's why we're a fiduciary, obligated to put clients first. (money manager) so, what do you provide? cookie cutter portfolios? (naj) nope, we tailor portfolios to our client's needs. (money manager) but you do sell investments that earn you high commissions, right? (naj) we don't have those. (money manager) so what's in it for you? (naj) our fees are structured so we do better when you do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. all the serums out there this is the

all of that had the threat of slavery extending into it when steven a. douglas passed the kansas nebraska act in 1854. the republican party formed in opposition to steven a. douglas. the only thing they all had in common was they hated the idea of slavery extending into the terriers to. beyond that the party was hard to hold together. this is in the wings. now i want to talk about lincoln and the message. the republicans here and the democratics. the most extreme end of the republican party was the abolition wing. you are against slavery extending into the territories and you want an end to the fugitive slave eight law and abolished from the southern states. the problem was that was like being called a communist in the 1950s. you weren't going to win elections if you were tagged with that label. lincoln was not an abolitionist. the reason why he wasn't is because of the constitutionality. believe it or not in 1859 and 1860, lincoln was for the fugitive slave law, returning slaves to their owners. osteowith a not be a favorite of lincoln. ab litigationists really

later, browning is appointed to take over steven douglas senate seat. during his time and washington he will interact a lot with blinken. they have a rather candid correspondence over the years. but nevertheless, browning is still there. somewhere in blinken's view as somebody who blinken likes to use as a sounding board. that is kind of how they all come into play. at least at the beginning why they become mentors, the book is largely about what they help do for blinken as mentors. >> wonderful, thank you for that. we can return to the question of the at the next one that's a great encapsulation of this, of the book. professor, tell us about the contrast that you draw so vividly in the zealots and the emancipator between abraham lincoln and john brown part you know in the book the conventional accounts of blinken as a temper riser and kind of cautious moderate may be overdrawn that blinken had a passion and zeal for emancipation once he was convinced of it. none try another the last you can't trust him with an under successful mob attack that's a word

he made a comment in 1858 as part of his campaign against steven a. douglasillinois for the u.s. senate seat. he said that about half of the people of our country today are people from someplace else. they're people from germany, from france, from scandinavia, from what have you. and they don't have -- they're not descended from the american revolutionaries, and they don't know much about the american revolutionaries. when they read about the american revolution, they're really reading about a history, but lincoln said when they look into that declaration of independence, and when they read there that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. then lincoln said they feel that they are flesh of the flesh and blood of the blood of those old men that wrote the declaration. he believed that principle was a nonnegotiable one and that the declaration and the constitution acted together as what he described as being apples of gold in pictures of silver. he did

the kansas-nebraska act of 1854 the work primarily of illinois center steven douglas this is one that blue the tops off the heads of many northerners and especially people oppose to slavery the the crux of the kansas-nebraska act was to repeal that portion of the missouri compromise 1820 that had barred slavery from the northern part of the louisiana purchase. that was 18 20. this is 1854 it fell in the category of what the juris called settled law. it's been around for a long time and northerners those people who are opposed to slavery. they presume that that was the permanent deal and their hope was still that if the growth of slavery could be contained then slavery eventually would fall under its own weight, but the kansas-nebraska act says sorry we're taking that lid off of slavery. and this was compounded three years later when the dreads got case the grotes got decision said that. the missouri compromise that part of the missouri compromise had been unconstitutional from the beginning because it after the the kansas nebraska act. it was possible for people like abraham lincoln w

. >> steven douglas is the overwhelming favorite to be the democratic nominee. >> but southern democratsg to temperize during his debates with lincoln. >> ultimately, the decmocrats from the south walk out of their own convention. they will assemble, and nominate the vice president of the united states. john c. breckenridge. a kentuckian. and defiantly, nominate stephen douglas. >> so now, you have a southern candidate and a northern candidate on the electoral ticket. and to make it worse, you have a middle group, who -- both their houses. creates what's called the constitutional-union party and nominates john bell of tennessee. so now, southern votes are split, not two ways but, three ways. and it becomes obvious, just from doing the numbers, that lincoln was going to win this election. >> on november 6th, 1860, a record, 81% of voters turn out for what would become the most significant presidential election in american history. >> lincoln spends most of the day in the springfield telegraph office. every time the keys clatter, he knows that returns are coming in from another city. it's

tomorrow night on cnn, you can see how abraham lincoln's debates with steven douglas over the expansionm on to a national stage and helped to pave the way to his president is i. cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. i mean, who doesn't love obsessing over network security? cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. c. cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. i. cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. s. cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. . cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. i. cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. . cnn's original series lincoln, divided we stand, continues sunday night at 10:00 eastern. with at&t business, you do the things you love. our people and network will help do the things you don't. let's take care of busine

. >> there's a reason steven douglas' greatest political rival literally held his hat at his first inaugurationhat's a lesson. john, terrific. good luck on the book. >> it's a great documentary. looking ford it. >> you can all watch the new cnn original series "lin "lincoln: divided we stand." it premieres sunday at 10:00 p.m. only on cnn. >>> lincoln freed the slaves. >> it's more complicated than that. ♪ >> a new president. a prairie lawyer. with no experience trying to hold together the american experiment. ♪ i'm only human ♪ >> the stakes were extremely high. ♪ don't put your blame on me ♪ >> this election is an earthquake. >> the biggest misconception of lincoln is that he was perfect. ♪ i'm only human make mistakes ♪ ♪ i'm only human that's all it takes don't put the blame on me ♪ >> the man who found a way to make democracy safe. >> "lincoln: divided we stand" premieres sunday night at 10:00. introducing fidelity income planning. we look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow that lasts, even when you're not working, so you can go from sa

ironically steven douglas wouldn't agree the chairman's narrative that the principles of the declarationonstitution were only meant for white people. that's exactly the position that was taken in that position lincoln said three years ago. never been a belief in the world that said the declaration of independence was not included in the term all men. i reassert today, i assert that douglas may search the records of the country and it will be a matter of great astonishment that they shall be able to find that one human being three years ago has ever -- that the term all men in the declaration did not include the. i believe the first man was chief justice carney in the dred scott decision and the next to him was steven a. douglas. now it's become a catchword of the entire party. when this new proposition that no human being was brought forward i look at that as having an evil tendency and not an evil design end quote. a year and a half later lincoln systematically dismantled this argument type placing the votes of everyone at the american founders who assisted in post-slavery. he had ambig