Aliyia v. Ashley

Incredible debate!  Both debaters came to the podium prepared with outstanding arguments.  Ashley was very creative in her approach to slavery and even created an argument never heard of in our class before-that slaves live as long if not longer (evidence can support this and can be countered).  In the end, Aliyia's killer CX got Ashley to see her own hypocracy and even agree that slaver masters were greedy!  Wow!!!  What a great example of what this class is capable of.

Katelin vs. Jackie

Wow! What an interesting second debate.  Flowing is the key when you are up to.  Katelin introduced the idea that if slaves were so happy then why did they rebel.  A stronger rebellion argument is hard to counter, yet possible.  Don't let your opponent off the hook so easily.  Congratulations to the first set of debaters today!

Courtney vs. Nadiya

This was a really fun debate to watch.  Courtney's argument was killer!  She not only defined what it means to pursue happiness she studied her opponents historic figure and utilized such information during CX and rebuttal.  Nadiya also did some brilliant analysis by being the first to use the Fifth Amendment and introducing the idea that slavery was a necessary evil.    This was a hard debate to decide on but because Courtney was able to crack Nadiya's tough armor, she took the win.  Thank you for presenting a wonderful debate to the class! Thanks for the book :)

Farid vs. Sally

This debate was a real pleasure to watch.  Farid brilliantly applied the Eighth Amendment to the abolishment side in which he recognized that slave masters assumed that slaves were property yet challenged the idea that you need to respect such property.  Sally refused to let Farid off the hook during the CX while Farid refused to give into the point that those whom are enslaved do not get the same opportunities as those who aren't enslaved.  Congratulations to both debaters for getting in front of the class and delivering solid speeches!

Seth vs. Jonese

Sometimes hard work doesn't always pay off.  Work smarter, not harder.  This is what Jonese did.  She took full advantage of her strength, challenging her opponent during the CX.  Seth's arguments were very creative and thoughtful, however, one must really define life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness so that we know what that means for those enslaved and not enslaved.   I wonder, is it enough to say that you own soneone or do you need to prove that humans can be sold as property?  In the end, Jonese made example of the reality of social classes in society to prove that all are not equal.  She used that concept to challenge Seth's notion of equality.  We would not speak to the President the same way as our friend.  But, does that necessarily mean we would treat them less or a superior human?  Hmmm...maybe we do...

Yusuf vs. Alia

This was a great debate to watch. Both speakers came well prepared with 3 strong arguments and paid attention to prior debates.  Finally, the abolishment side handled the Three-Fifths a person issue.  But what is surprising to me is how effectively the for slavery side is countering the inhumane treatment argument.  Really!? Abolish side you have to handle the argument that slaves are the happiest in the world, perhaps the most free.  Thank you Yusuf for moving the class forward in terms of how to handle the rebuttals.  Congratulations to both debaters for earning strong marks and making this debate enjoyable!

Brian vs. Amanda

Taking advantage of after-school tutoring and judging opportunities, this competitive spirit gave Amanda the edge she needed to win this debate.  She delivered the strongest rebuttal in our class to date.  However, this is not to take away from the great speech Brian delivered.  He was the first to use the fact that blacks are not in the minority in certain key states which is very dangerous for the economy when they are not treated well.  He also gave an example of a rebellion that WAS successful in Haiti.  Brian needed to use more of the CX time to hammer away at Amanda's opening speech.  Amanda came to the podium with an overwhelming amount of evidence that connected directly to her argument.  This was a great debate to watch!  Congratulations to both debaters for a job well done!