Beardstown in Cass County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Stephen A. Douglas Speech Site
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023
1. Stephen A. Douglas Speech Site Marker
Stephen A. Douglas
speech for the Senate
Aug. 11, 1858
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is August 11, 1858.
Location. 40° 0.991′ N, 90° 26.048′ W. Marker is in Beardstown, Illinois, in Cass County. Marker is at the intersection of West 3rd Street and South State Street, on the right when traveling west on West 3rd Street. Marker is in Art Zeeck Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 W 3rd St, Beardstown IL 62618, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lincoln the Lawyer (a few steps from this marker); In Memory of Abraham Lincoln (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Abraham Lincoln's Speech (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln the Candidate (within shouting distance of this marker); Beardstown Grand Opera House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lincoln Photograph (about 500 feet away); Lincoln in Beardstown (about 500 feet away); Traveling to Beardstown (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Beardstown.
Regarding Stephen A. Douglas Speech Site. Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame:
As he stumped throughcommunities along the Illinois River, Douglas occasionally lost his composure. At Beardstown on August 11, he assailed Lyman Trumbull, who four days earlier had alleged that Douglas’s opposition to the Lecompton Constitution was hypocritical. The Little Giant reportedly “raved like a maniac,” “tore his hair,” and “shook his fists” while branding his senatorial colleague an “infamous liar” and a “miserable, craven-hearted wretch” who would “rather have both ears cut off than to use that language in my presence, where I could call him to account.” Douglas also said that while he wished “to discuss principles alone, without any indulgence in personalities,” his rival had stooped to personal attacks. He had treated Lincoln “with marked respect and kindness,” and in return, he claimed, he had received abuse: his opponent had charged him with conspiring to nationalize slavery and then criticized him for not responding. Haughtily Douglas explained, “I did not suppose that there was a man in America so degraded in his own soul, as to believe that such a charge could be true against the Supreme Court and two Presidents.” He called the allegation “an infamous lie” and an “assault upon my private and public character.” Analyzing his rival’s motives, the Little Giant declared that “Lincoln has been told by his abolition supporters that he made a great blunder in his speech at Springfield,
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this page onlinethat he should not have avowed the abolition doctrines as broadly, as rankly, as undisguisedly as he did, and that I was getting the advantage of him on the defense of his own issues. He is determined now to change the discussion, if possible, from the principle involved to a personal contest. I confess that I have no taste for personal contests before public audiences.” He then proceeded to ridicule Lincoln’s “exploits with broad-swords, on his trip to Missouri with Gen. Shields.”Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 20232. Stephen A. Douglas Speech Site Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 52 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
