The Long Pursuit by Roy Morris, Jr.

The Thirty-Year Struggle Between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas

Feb 27, 2009 William L. Wunder

This book by Roy Morris, Jr. is a unique take on the political career of Lincoln, which was greatly influenced by Douglas.

Morris claims that Lincoln would have just been a Springfield lawyer if it wasn't for Douglas. From the 1830's in Illinois to the 1860 Presidential election, Douglas was a goad for Lincoln to enter the political fray. Essentially, Morris weaves a dual biography of the two prairie giants.

Jacksonian Politics

The author explores their political beginnings, before slavery became the big issue. Douglas was an enthusiastic Democrat from Vermont, worshipping the great Andrew Jackson. Lincoln worshipped Henry Clay, Jackson's enemy, and heeded the principles of the Whig party. Both came to Illinois in the early 1830's ready to carve a path for themselves.

That path began in state government, where they already squared off in debates. For three days in November 1839, the two argued over President Martin Van Buren's opposition to a national bank. Pro-bank Lincoln lost according to public opinion. For the 1840 Presidential campaign, Lincoln and Douglas debated each other all over Illinois.

As the 1840's progressed, Douglas advanced to the national scene as a U.S. Representative, then Senator. Meanwhile, Lincoln languished in local politics and turned to his law practice. Finally, Lincoln became a U.S. Representative in 1847. His solitory term was highlighted by his staunch opposition to the U.S.-Mexican War. That position cost him a possible renomination and hurt the Whigs back home. Morris convincingly shows at this point that Douglas was winning the "Long Pursuit."

A House Divided

The spoils of the U.S.-Mexican War agitated the slavery issue. To cool down hot tempers, Douglas had a hand in the Compromise of 1850, a balancing act of give-and-take between North and South. Also, in 1854, Douglas championed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Popular Sovereignty, which allowed the territiories to decide for themselves about slavery. Instead of amelioration, the act only stoked more anger on both sides. It also snapped Lincoln into action.

The Republican Lincoln challenged Douglas for the Senate in 1858. Morris briefly describes each of the six debates in this campaign. Douglas kept his Senate seat, but the debates won Lincoln positive fame. Other books, such as Allen Guelzo's Lincoln and Douglas, go more in depth on the debates. But Morris puts the debates in perspective, it was just part of the "Long Pursuit" between the two.

The ultimate prize of the pursuit was the 1860 Presidential election. Lincoln was just hitting his stride while Douglas was battered and bruised by Southern Democrats and President James Buchanan. One of the best told stories in the book is the 1860 Democratic Convention. The fierce fire-eater William Lowndes Yancey led the southern delegates in a walk-out and eventually they nominated their own candidate, John Breckinridge. This helped Lincoln win the "Long Pursuit."

Roy Morris, Jr. does us a favor in The Long Pursuit. Not only does he present the well worn topic of Lincoln in a fresh way, he also shines light on the generally forgotten Douglas. No new information or scholarship is offered in the book, but it is still worth reading.

Published by Smithsonian Books, 2008, ISBN 978-0-06-085209-2

The copyright of the article The Long Pursuit by Roy Morris, Jr. in History/Philosophy Books is owned by William L. Wunder. Permission to republish The Long Pursuit by Roy Morris, Jr. in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Stephen Douglas

Abraham Lincoln, 1846 or 1847

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