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Point-Counterpoint Activities – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

30 items

Should We Remember Christopher Columbus as a Conqueror or Explorer?
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40 Min

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.
Colonial Identity: English or American?
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40 Min

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.
What Was the Great Awakening?
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40 Min

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

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.
Were the Anti-Federalists Unduly Suspicious or Insightful Political Thinkers?
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40 Min

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: Unjust Taxation or Enforcing the Rule of Law?
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40 Min

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.
“Strict” or “Loose”: Was the National Bank Constitutional?
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40 Min

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.
Was the Election of 1800 a Revolution?
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40 Min

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.
Did the Missouri Compromise Merely Delay War?
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40 Min

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.
Is the Concurrent Majority Theory Faithful to the Ideals of the Constitution?
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40 Min

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.
To What Extent Were Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion Justified?
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40 Min

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 Abraham Lincoln Exceed His Presidential Powers during the Civil War?
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40 Min

Did Lincoln exceed his powers while leading the country through the turmoils of the Civil War? Mackubin Owens and Allen Guelzo debate this issue.
To What Extent Did American Principles Become a Reality for African Americans during Reconstruction?
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40 Min

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.
Was the Civil War Fought Over Slavery?
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40 Min

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.
Were the Titans of the Gilded Age “Robber Barons” or “Entrepreneurial Industrialists”?
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40 Min

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 Bosses Essential Service Providers or Corrupt Politicians?
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40 Min

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.
Was Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis Myth or Reality?
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40 Min

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.
Did the Progressive Movement Diverge from Founding Principles and Did It Affect the Purpose of Government?
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40 Min

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.
Should Herbert Hoover Be Considered an Activist President?
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40 Min

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.
Was Prohibition a Success or a Failure?
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40 Min

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.
Did the New Deal End the Great Depression?
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40 Min

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.
Who Was Responsible for Starting the Cold War?
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40 Min

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.
Was Federal Spending on the Space Race Justified?
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40 Min

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.
Was the Great Society Successful?
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40 Min

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.
Did U.S. Media Provide Fair and Accurate Coverage of the Tet Offensive?
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40 Min

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.
Has Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History” Thesis Been Proven Correct?
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40 Min

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.
Does the Threat of Terrorism Justify Increased Surveillance?
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40 Min

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 Invasion of Iraq Justified?
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40 Min

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.
Is Affirmative Action Justified?
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40 Min

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.
Is it in the Interest of the United States to Maintain Its International Obligations?
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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.