The Rivalry

The Rivalry is Norman Corwin’s dramatization of the great Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. Lincoln, then a little-known country lawyer, challenged the popular Douglas for his Senate seat and, although he lost the race, gained such extraordinary fame that he would be elected President two years later. The debates centered on slavery – Douglas for the states’ right to determine, Lincoln against on grounds of inequality – and all of its attendant issues, including federal vs. state interests, the rights guaranteed under the Constitution, and the way in which political discourse shaped public behavior. Corwin uses the exact words of the two men, but edits them together to form a compelling dialogue, one which resonates even today.