In which city did the Lincoln-Douglas debate draw the largest crowd?

The Lincoln-Douglas debate that drew the largest crowd was held in Galesburg, Illinois.

Newspaper estimates placed the Galesburg audience at roughly 16,000 to 18,000 people, making it the largest reported crowd among the seven 1858 debates. The event took place on October 7 at Knox College, where Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen A. Douglas argued chiefly over slavery’s expansion into the western territories and the meaning of popular sovereignty.

The other listed cities also attracted huge audiences: reports put Freeport at about 15,000, Ottawa at 12,000, and Quincy at 12,000. Quincy, Freeport, and Alton drew many visitors from neighboring states because they were near Illinois’s borders, but Galesburg still had the highest reported attendance among the choices.

Although Lincoln’s Republicans won more of the popular vote for legislators, Douglas was reelected by the Illinois General Assembly. The debates nevertheless helped make Lincoln a national political figure before his 1860 presidential campaign.