Written to be accessible to middle school and novice debaters, Mastering the Fundamentals of Lincoln-Douglas Debate is nevertheless useful to the varsity-level high school debater who longs for consistent success at tournaments. Myers walks the reader through his innovative Grammatical Resolution Analysis Method (GRAM), which takes much of the effort and guesswork out of writing cases. He especially focuses on resolution-relevant values and criteria, providing detailed explanation of how to create a solid criterion where most LD manuals only provide vague information.Myers's instruction goes beyond case writing, providing useful guidance on successful cross-examination, rebuttal preparation, when and how to use prep time effectively, flowing rounds, effective presentation, and much more. Myers also includes a chapter with quick references of the most commonly used philosophers, and suggests alternative sources to traditional philosophers to help you stand out in a round. Mastering the Fundamentals of Lincoln-Douglas Debate is the one-stop resource to help the new debater advance quickly and painlessly from clueless to competition-ready.

The most complete record ever assembled of the landmark Lincoln-Douglas debates, published on their 150th anniversary

We remember Abraham Lincoln for many things, but without his ability at persuasion, we would remember him for nothing. It was that ability that brought him first to national prominence and the White House, and then through the most difficult four years that any president has ever faced. This book focuses exclusively on that ability, looking first at Lincoln’s history of persuasive efforts, from the poverty-stricken boy who stood on tree stumps to repeat sermons, through the young state legislator and congressman, courtroom lawyer, rising national politician, and ultimately president,and then at what made him so effective: his personality and intellect, his credibility and clarity, and his masterful use of fact, logic, and emotion. It is a remarkable story.

Conceived and written by three of the most successful and talented National Forensic League coaches and educators, this text brings together current best practices for Public Forum and Congressional Debate.

Rather than approach debate primarily as a form of interscholastic competition, this unique book identifies it as an activity that occurs in many settings: scientific conferences, newspaper op-ed pages, classrooms, courts of law, and everyday domestic life. Debate is discussed as an integral part of academic inquiry in all disciplines. As in all fields of study, various competing views are advanced and supported; Debate and Critical Analysis is designed to better prepare the student to assess and engage them. This text posits four characteristics of true debate -- argument development, clash, extension, and perspective -- which form the basic structure of the book. Each concept or aspect of argument covered is illustrated by an example drawn from contemporary or historical sources, allowing the reader to actually see the techniques and strategies at work. All popular forms of competitive debate, including "policy," "Lincoln-Douglas," "value-oriented," and "parliamentary," are discussed in detail -- as embedded in the actual topical controversies with which they are concerned. In this way, the student can learn the structures, reasoning processes, and strategies that may be employed, as well as the practical affairs of debating, from brief-writing to the flowsheet.