2012 Presidential Debates Begin

The major US presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, will hold their first campaign debate on Wednesday evening in Denver, Colorado. One of the first political debates in the U.S. took place in Illinois, in 1858. Senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas stood on this rock and argued over slavery. Lincoln lost the race but went on to win the presidency two years later. Ten thousand people watched the debate in this park.