19th Century Debates



Name_____________________________________ Period______

H US History Wilson

United States History Research Paper Debate

I. ASSIGNMENT:

A. Students will debate positions researched, advanced, and supported in their papers.

B. The assignment will be part of the Tests/Projects category for the 4th marking period.

C. The debates will begin Thursday, April 14th (All students should be prepared to debate)

II. FORMAT:

A. Each individual will defend a position linked to their paper as well as question an opponent

who advanced a contrary position. Each debate will last approximately fourteen minutes.

1. The format of the debate will be as follows:

“Yes” “No” “Yes” “No”

-2 minutes to argue/ -2 minutes to argue/ -2 minutes for -2 minutes for

-3 min. questioned -3 min. questioned final statement final statement

by opponent by opponent

2. The order of the topics being debated will be randomly determined. There will be

two debates each class period.

III. TOPICS:

• Did immigrants to the United States between the years 1900-1929 arrive in an equal “land of opportunity”?

• Was the achievement of suffrage –via passage of the 19th Amendment– the most significant

achievement for women?

• Did Franklin Roosevelt consolidate too much power as President during the Great Depression

and WWII?

• Should the United States have done more to prevent and/or end the Holocaust?

• Did President Harry Truman make the correct decision to use atomic weapons against Japan in 1945?

• Was the United States government justified in its actions to “root out” communists and/or

communist sympathizers within our borders during the Cold War?

• Who was more responsible for starting the Cold War –Harry Truman or Josef Stalin?

• Is affirmative action an appropriate strategy in the struggle to eliminate discrimination in

hiring practices (employment) and education?

• How confident are you in the accuracy of the official report of the Warren Commission

-declaring Lee Harvey Oswald the “lone killer”– in the assassination of President John Kennedy?

• Did the counterculture movement of the 1950s and 1960s have any significant, lasting effect?

• Were the liberal policies of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare good for America?

• Should the United States have gone to war in Vietnam?

• Has history judged President Richard Nixon fairly?

• Who was more responsible for ending the Cold War –Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev?

• Was the creation of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba an appropriate strategy in

fighting the War on Terror?

• Was President George W. Bush justified in invading Iraq in 2003?

• Is the United States a declining world power?

IV. EVALUATION:

A. 80 points for debate (see debate scoring guide below for details)

1. Maximum 20 points for opening argument

2. Maximum 20 points for response to questions

3. Maximum 20 points for questions asked

4. Maximum 20 points for final statement

B. 20 points for typed self-evaluation (minimum one page, due the day after your debate)

1. Use self-evaluation sheet to provide an honest, reflective assessment of your

performance

C. The following debate scoring guide outlines how you will be assessed during the debate.

Generally, each student will be judged on validity of argument, delivery of

argument/response, and effectiveness of response.

US History Research Paper Debate Scoring Guide

Speech – 20 points

20–18

Delivery – Smooth, practiced, seamless. The speaker is very confident and comfortable. There is considerable eye contact with the audience. The speaker uses all of the allotted time.

Argument – Compelling, convincing, logical. The facts presented are relevant and clearly persuade the audience that the speaker is correct. Sophisticated, deep thought and organization are present.

17–15

Delivery – The speaker is still confident and comfortable, but may betray a hint of nervousness. Although basically in control, the speaker may rely a bit too much on notes. One or two gaps in speech are present. The speaker uses all the allotted time.

Argument – The audience is more or less persuaded to believe the speaker. Facts are relevant, but perhaps a bit too simplistic. No more than one clear hole in argument allowed.

14–12

Delivery – The speaker is nervous and seems somewhat uncomfortable. Little audience eye contact present. There may be several gaps in speech. The presentation seems unpracticed. Less than the full allotted time is used.

Argument – The speech makes several good points, but seems unconvincing on the whole. Argument has holes, some points seem irrelevant.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download