Should Columbus' actions be viewed from a modern lens, or based on the values of his time? Mark Christensen shares two views on this question.

How much did the colonists form their own American identity and how much of the identity of their mother country did they keep? Malcolm Gaskill and Phillip Hamilton debate this question.

Was the Great Awakening a coherent movement, or a construct that historians retroactively created? Thomas Kidd and Frank Lambert debate this question.

Did the Framers of the Constitution draft protections for slavery in the document? Or did they provide mechanisms specifically to put the institution on the path of extinction? Gordon Lloyd and Stuart Leibiger debate this question.

The Anti-Federalists created significant challenges on the path of ratifying the Constitution. Were their concerns with the document unreasonable, or did they correctly foresee future problems that would arise in the new government? Gordon Lloyd and Adam Tate debate this question.

The Whiskey Rebellion was one of the first significant challenges to the new government under the Constitution. How valid were the complaints of the rebels who opposed the new taxation on whiskey? Frank W. Garmon, Jr. and Rebecca Brannon debate this question.

Jefferson and Hamilton's debates over the constitutionality of a national bank was one of the major debates in the early republic. Which Founder had the better interpretation of the Constitution on the issue? Adam Tate and Jack Rakove debate this question.

The election of 1800 was the first peaceful transition of power from one party to another in the United States. Did Thomas Jefferson's new administration fundamentally change the nature of the United States? Jeremy D. Bailey and Todd Estes debate this question.

Was the division of the country between free and slave states inevitably going to lead to a civil war? John Van Atta and Dan Monroe debate this issue.

Did John C. Calhoun's political theories on the dangers of majority rule adhere to the Framers goal of protecting the rights of all? Barton A. Myers and James H. Read debate this question.

Did the positives outweigh the negatives as the concept of Manifest Destiny drove western expansion during the nineteenth century? A. James Fuller and Andrew Fisher debate this question.

Did Lincoln exceed his powers while leading the country through the turmoils of the Civil War? Mackubin Owens and Allen Guelzo debate this issue.

Reconstruction witnessed some successes in bringing equality, liberty, and justice for African Americans. Brooks D. Simpson and John C. Waugh explore the lasting impact of Reconstruction policies on American principles.

The injustice of slavery drove a division in the United States during the initial decades of the nineteenth century. But to what extent was slavery the fundamental cause of sectional differences that culminated in the Civil War? Brooks D. Simpson and John C. Waugh debate this challenging topic.

Was the economic growth in the country during the Gilded Age justified if it was built on the backs of American workers? Mark Summers and John Steele Gordon debate this question.

Were urban leaders more like "Boss" Tweed, who is infamous for his corruption, or did most benefit their communities by providing services that local governments did not? Stephanie Hinnershitz and Mark Summers debate which narrative about these urban bosses was more accurate.

Did western expansion fuel the individualism seen in the American character? Andrew Fisher and Bradley J. Birzer debate the validity of Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis.

In pressing for drastic changes in American society, did the Progressive movement stay true to Founding principles? Mark Thomas and Joseph Postell debate this question.

Did Herbert Hoover use unprecedented federal power to try to stymy the calamities of the Great Depression or was he a conservative who tried to uphold the traditional governing structure of the country? Glen Jeansonne and Michael Parrish debate the question.

Given the impact on the economic, social, and political lives of Americans, was the outlawing of the manufacturing and sale of alcohol a wise policy? David E. Hamilton and Johnathan O’Neill debate this question.

Under the New Deal, federal programs spent huge amounts of money in an attempt to combat the Great Depression. Were these programs an effective way to restore economic prosperity in the country? Glenda Gilmore and Michael Parrish debate this question.

Which country, the United States or its previous ally, the Soviet Union, was responsible for the escalating tensions that led to the Cold War that would go on to last for decades? Two scholars debate this question.

Were the large amount of money to keep up with the Soviet Union in space exploration and to be the first country to land a man on the moon worth it? Brian Domitrovic and Jeff Broadwater debate this question.

Did the Great Society significantly alleviate poverty and social ills in the United States or did it have little impact beyond creating unsustainably expensive federal programs? Anthony D. Bartl and Gregory L. Schneider debate this question.

In what ways did the media's portrayal of the prospect of victory accurately present the situation in Vietnam and how did that affect that narrative Americans believed about the War? Anthony D. Bartl and Robert McMahon debate this question.

Since the end of the Cold War, has the world shifted towards democratic governments similar to the United States? Rebeccah Heinrichs and Chester Pachdebate this question.

After September 11th, 2001, is there justification for the increase in surveillance or does it an unnecessary violate individual liberties? Rebeccah Heinrichs and Artemus Ward debate this question.

Was the Iraq War a necessary military conflict to protect the United States or a mistake driven by unwarranted fear? Artemus Ward and Robert McMahon debate the question.

Does affirmative action violate the principle of equality or is it the correct course of action to make up for past racial discrimination? Erwin Chemerinsky and Artemus Wards debate this question.

Has the United States built itself into a global leader for freedom and protecting allies at the expensive of its own best interests? Jason Pierce and Rebeccah Heinrichs debate this question.

Were the Federalists or Anti-Federalists more convincing?

Is Congress broken?

How can opposing viewpoints be critically evaluated to inform understanding?

Is the Supreme Court the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution?

Are Americans polarized by political parties?

Is the Supreme Court the best branch of government to protect civil liberties?

What examples exist of debates on limited government?

Document Set that address the question: What were the principles of the new Constitution and how did they shape the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debate? 

What were the principles of the new Constitution and how did they shape the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debate? 

A discussion guide that helps students analyze landmark Supreme Court cases, distinguishing between constitutional reasoning and personal opinions.

A concluding set of questions that should be used after students work through the Acts of Parliament primary sources and the Colonists response primary sources.

A handout to start students on the discussion prompts for the Paideia Seminar.

A student handout to guide students in a fishbowl discussion about civic virtue.

A narrative that gives background to the first discussion of the proper limits and relationships to be applied to state and national government in the Early Republic.

Excerpts of the United States Constitution, Federalist 12, Federalist 13, Brutus 1, and "The Address and reasons of dissent of the minority of the convention, of the state of Pennsylvania, to their constituents” and discussion questions to help students evaluate the arguments for and against entrusting a national legislature with the power of taxation.