Debate Terms 1. Proposition – a statement of the issue to be debated Example: Resolved: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice. 2. Resolution – a statement of your position on the issue 3. Affirmative – “yes” 4. Negative – “no”

5. Premise – something that must be true in order for you to make your point; there are three types of premises: facts, policies, and values 6.Argument – a reason to support your side of the debate 7.Evidence – facts that help prove you are right 8. Brief – an outline of the affirmative and negative cases

9. Constructive – the speech at the start of a debate during which the affirmative and negative sides build their case 10. Cross-Examination – the time during a debate when one side is questioned by the opposing side 11. Refute – to provide evidence that shows your opponent is wrong 12. Rebuttal – providing evidence that further shows you are right after your opponent has attempted to show you were wrong 13. Fallacy – anything you can prove is not true

G & T Debate Format

Lincoln-Douglas debate A Lincoln-Douglas debate is one of the most popular types of debates in high school debate competitions.  It gets its name from the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, which were a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen Douglas (Democrat) as they fought each other over a seat to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate.  The major issue of these debates was slavery. 

L-D Debate continued More specifically, the debates focused on whether new states should make slavery legal or illegal.  Douglas favored the idea of “popular sovereignty,” or leaving it up to the states to make their own decisions about whether or not to allow slavery.  Lincoln, on the other hand, who was a staunch abolitionist, thought that slavery should be outlawed in the new states simply on the grounds that slavery was morally wrong. In other words, Lincoln defended himself with a value. Today, competitive Lincoln-Douglas debates are also called “value debates” because they are about moral issues, human rights, and philosophical matters.  

Preparing arguments Each team should prepare a list of at least five arguments.  Remember, an argument is just a reason for supporting your side, and reasons should always be supported by facts and evidence.  Each argument should be approximately one-paragraph in length. 

Writing the constructive The constructive is your opening statement.  It is a short speech that identifies and briefly describes each of your very best arguments.  Keep in mind that there is a three-minute time limit when delivering your constructive. 

Prepare for cross-examination, refutes, and rebuttals.   A good debate team always anticipates the opponents’ arguments.  Knowing what your opponent might say helps you prepare a list of cross-examination questions, points to refute, and rebuttals to use during the debate.  You won’t have enough time to think quickly enough on the fly, so it’s crucial you bring good notes with you to the debate.  Good notes include (a) pre-written constructive, (b) summaries of affirmative and negative arguments, (b) list of cross-examination questions, and (d) lists of quotes, facts, statistics, evidence, examples, etc.