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Lincoln, Douglas to duke it out again

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas are about to go at it again. And again. And again.

Illinoisans will soon start seeing a lot more stovepipe hats and mustache-less beards as the state hosts a series of events celebrating the landmark Lincoln-Douglas debate over the morality of slavery.

Reunion Tour '08 kicks off June 14-16 in Springfield, where Lincoln will redeliver his famous "House Divided" speech in the Old State Capitol. While Lincoln's June 16, 1858, speech was not officially part of the debate, many consider it the opening salvo for his case against slavery.

"This was the opening shot of what was later the formal Lincoln-Douglas debate," said David Blanchette of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which runs the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition will host a tour of all the Illinois stops Lincoln and Douglas made during their race for a U.S. Senate seat. Historians consider this the catalyst for the eventual end of slavery and the beginning of Lincoln's political legacy.
Read entire article at St. Louis Post-Dispatch