The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, seven legendary meetings between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their 1858 senatorial campaign in Illinois, made history, and changed its course as well. On the 150th anniversary of these epic battles, BBC Audio is proud to present a newly commissioned recording of the debates, starring David Strathairn as Lincoln and Richard Dreyfuss as Douglas. The debates were the culmination of a political rivalry that had its origin twenty-five years before, when Lincoln and Douglas were aspiring politicians in the Illinois legislature. A main theme was slavery and its expansion into the western territories. Douglas argued for the concept of popular sovereignty, with the people of each territory deciding the slavery question for themselves. But in Lincoln’s view, this approach would nationalize and perpetuate slavery. Though Douglas won re-election to the Senate, Lincoln’s gift for oratory and his anti-slavery stance in the debates made him a nationally known figure, and led to his election to the presidency in 1860. This stellar new recording will allow all listeners to experience a key turning point in American history, as well as celebrate Lincoln’s bicentennial. Introduced by Lincoln scholar Allen C. Guelzo, and presented unabridged, as they were originally spoken by the candidates, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates provides a soundtrack to a nation discovering its better self.