First Semester APUSH Formal Debate Topics

Day 1:
1. Was Columbus an Imperialist?
2. Were the English Colonists Guilty of Genocide?
3. Was Colonial Culture Uniquely “American”?
4. Was the Colonial Period a “Golden Age” for Women in America?

Day 2:
5. Were Socioeconomic Tensions Responsible for the Witchcraft Hysteria in Salem?
6. Did American Slaves Develop a Distinct African-American Culture in the 18th Century?
7. Was the Great Awakening a Key to the American Revolution?
8. Was the American Revolution a Conservative Movement?

Day3:
9. Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers?
10. Was Thomas Jefferson Committed to Bringing an End to Chattel Slavery?
11. Was Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy Motivated by Humanitarian Concerns?
12. Did the Bank War Cause the Panic of 1837?

Day 4:
13. Was Antebellum Reform Motivated Primarily by Humanitarian Goals?
14. Was the Mexican War an Exercise in American Imperialism?
15. Did the Westward Movement Transform the Traditional Roles of Women in the Mid-
Nineteenth Century?

Day 5:
16. Were Southern Slaveholding Women Secret Abolitionists?
17. Did Slavery Destroy the Black Family?
18. Have Historians Overemphasized the Slavery Issue as a Cause of the Civil War?

Day 6:
19. Is Robert E. Lee Overrated as a General?
20. Did Abraham Lincoln Free the Slaves?
21. Was the Confederacy Defeated Because of its “Loss of Will”?
22. Was Abraham Lincoln America’s Greatest President?

Day 7:
23. Was it Wrong to Impeach Andrew Johnson?
24. Was Reconstruction a “Splendid Failure”?
25. Did William M. Tweed Corrupt Post-Civil War New York?
26. Was John D. Rockefeller a “Robber-Baron”?

Day 8:
27. Did the Industrial Revolution Disrupt the American Family?
28. Was City Government in the late 19th Century a “Conspicuous Failure”?
29. Did Booker T. Washington’s Actions and Philosophy Betray the Interests of Black
Americans
 5. Two to three minute conference between rounds.
Debate
Forma Round 1
t Person #1 for each side

1. Restate the question

General 2. Explain why it’s important
Rules 3. General reasons for position
4. Present any emotional reading or quote
1. Seven 5. Emotional appeal
minute
s per Person #2 for each side
student
in 1. Present data, case studies
round 2. Specific support for your arguments
one 3. Intellectual appeal
and
three Round 2
minute
s per
student Person #1 for each side
in
round 1. Attack and reiterate
two. 2. Appeal should be both emotional and intellectual
2. No
interfer Person #2 for each side
ence
with 1. Summarize your position and evidence
the 2. Take the high moral ground
speaker
.
3. The Questions from the class
speake
r may
use the Adapted from Advanced Placement US History: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Dan
podiu Conforti
m
4. Two
rounds
per
debate.
 
Debate 
Source C:
Additional Sources:
Score Presentation (40 points)
Sheet _____
 Was the debate rehearsed?
 Loudness (could the speeches be heard?)
 Read or explained?
Debate  Organization
Topic:______
 Debate addressed to the audience
____________
 Use of time
_______
 Persuasiveness
Date:_______  Thesis clearly defined and explained
___
Rebuttal to Opponents (10 points)
Period:_____ _____

Debate Teams

Pro:________ Vote Change (5 points)

____________ _____
______ &
____________ Pre-Vote: Pro:__________
____________ Con:__________
_
Post-Debate Vote: Pro:__________
Con:________ Con:__________
____________
_____ & Answers to Panel Questions (5 points)
____________ _____
____________
_

Annotated Additional Comments:

Bibliography
with a
Minimum of
Three Total Score (100 points maximum)
Sources (40 ____
points):
_____
 Source
A:
 Source
B: