Lincoln - Douglas
What is Lincoln Douglas?
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Lincoln Douglas debate is a 1 vs. 1 debate in which two debaters argue on a resolution previously chosen and given about three - four weeks in advance. Lincoln Douglas mainly focuses on sociological and philosophical issues in present day society. Evidence is extremely important in Lincoln Douglas Debate and is always used to back your claim. Typically, Lincoln Douglas debates revolve around deciding whether something is morally right or not. To prepare for Lincoln Douglas debate, competitors will be required to prepare both the affirmative and negative sides because you will not know which side you need to argue until the round starts.
Resolution Examples:
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The intergenerational accumulation of wealth is antithetical to democracy.
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Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified.
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Colleges ought to abolish Standardized Testing in the College Admissions Process.
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Round Timings:
6 - Affirmative Constructive
3 - Crossfire, Neg questions Aff
7 - Negative Constructive
3 - Crossfire, Aff questions Neg
4 - 1st Affirmative Rebuttal
6 - Negative Rebuttal
3 - 2nd Affirmative Rebuttal
BreakDown of Speeches:
AFFIRMATIVE CONSTRUCTIVE
- During the Affirmative Constructive, the affirmative side will go over their case and display their points and evidence. This speech is generally 6 minutes long.
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CROSSFIRE
- During the first crossfire, the Negative side will question the Affirmative side on their case. The main goal of the crossfire is for the negative to find loopholes in the affirmative's case. During the crossfire, generally stick to asking questions about the case rather than pointing out the loopholes. Point out the loopholes during your next speech.
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NEGATIVE CONSTRUCTIVE
- During the negative constructive, the negative side will go over their case and their points. Once again make surde to include evidence to back up your claims, otherwise they will be hypothetical. If you happen to finish your case early, feel free to begin refuting the affirmative's case. Use your time wisely!
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CROSSFIRE
- During the second crossfire, the affirmative side will question the negative side on their case. Once again, the main goal is for the affirmative to find loopholes in the negative's case.
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AFFIRMATIVE REBUTTAL 1
- During the affirmative rebuttal, all time should be used on refuting the negative side's case. Make sure to go through each and every point to ensure that you don't leave out any points. Once you have made your refutations in this speech, you cannot add or remove them in the next speech, so be 100% sure about what you say!
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NEGATIVE REBUTTAL
- During the negative rebuttal, a small amount should be used on refuting the affirmative side's case. Make sure to go through each and every point to ensure that you don't leave out any points. The remaining time should be used to go over your own case and explaining to the judge why you believe you have won. Be thorough!
AFFIRMATIVE REBUTTAL 2
- The second affirmative rebuttal's time should be split into two. Spend the first half of the speech reiterating your refutations against your opponent and breaking down their case. The second half of the speech should be used to go over your own case and provide the impact and explain to the judge why you have won this debate. Be confident!
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PREP TIME
- Each side gets four minutes of in-round prep time. Use it wisely!