 Comes from a series of recorded historical debates that took place between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in 1858  Lincoln was arguing that slavery is morally wrong, and should be outlawed, while Douglas argued that the people of a region should be able to choose their own laws.

 An LD debate is referred to as a “round”  Two debaters take up opposing positions on a pre-determined resolution  Resolution- a carefully worded central topic that debaters either affirm or negate in a given round.  Takes place in front of a single judge or a panel of judges

 Affirmative Constructive (6 minutes)  Cross Examination by the Negative (3 minutes)  Negative Constructive (7 minutes)  Cross Examination by the Affirmative (3 minutes)  First Affirmative Rebuttal  Negative Rebuttal  Second Affirmative Rebuttal  *both neg. and aff. are granted 3-5 minutes of “prep time” during the round.

 The Affirmative starts the debate by presenting a prepared speech that outlines the basic tenants of her position.

 This is the Negative’s opportunity to pose questions and have them answered by the Affirmative.

 The Negative usually presents his prepared speech in which he outlines why he disagrees with the resolution and responds to the Affirmative’s speech by pointing out his reasons for disagreement.