Famous Debates

Jonathan Blanchard was a skilled speaker and debate partner. He was indefatigable, especially on the topics of abolition and anti-secretism. On two momentous occasions, Jonathan was able to showcase his ability as a debate partner. First was his debate with Presbyterian Nathan Rice. The question was whether it was a sin to own slaves. The debate lasted sixteen hours. It was published later as the 482-page Debate on Slavery. The second famous debate was Jonathan’s encounter with Stephen Douglas in a clash of opinions that lasted over four hours.