In the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War, Americans—literate and unschooled alike—were fascinated with public speaking. People from all walks of life eagerly attended debates and lectures on the political and social issues of the day. Great speakers like Daniel Webster and Edward Everett engaged the passions of enthusiastic audiences, captivating listeners with their rhythmic and repetitive speech patterns.
The style of oration during that era was both personal and interactive. Prominent minister Henry Ward Beecher ignored his notes and spoke from the heart, as did the suffragist Lucretia Mott. Henry Clay stood close to his audience, while the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison encouraged audience involvement.
The best-known debates of the period were probably the seven animated encounters between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. At the time, Lincoln was not known
outside of Illinois, while Douglas was a national political figure. Their debates drew thousands of listeners, who regularly interrupted the speakers with cheers, groans, and questions. Such audience participation proved to be a key
ingredient of the debates, as reporters recorded everything said, including audience reactions and remarks.
In the fashion of the time, the Lincoln-Douglas debates followed a preset format. One man spoke first, for an hour, attacking his opponent, who often seethed with anger while awaiting his turn. The second responded for an hour and a half, both defending himself and returning the fire. Then the first spoke again for another hour. The audience hung on every word as the two speakers applied their best arguments, for the stakes were enormous—no less than the future of slavery in the United States and the preservation of the Union.