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Policy Debate
Policy debate is focused on evidence rather than the ethics of the matter. The main argument being debated during a round of Cross Examination is which team has a greater impact. Whichever team can prove the greater impact is likely to win the round. One team’s job is to argue that the resolution— the statement that we should make some specific change to address a national or international problem —is a good idea. In a single round of debate competition, each person gives two speeches. The first speech each person gives is called a “constructive” speech, because it is the speech where each person constructs the basic arguments they will make throughout the debate. The second speech is called a “rebuttal”, because this is the speech were each person tries to rebut (or answer) the arguments made by the other team, while using their own arguments to try to convince the judge to vote for their team. The affirmative has to convince the judge to vote for a change.

History of Policy Debate in College
Policy debate on the college level begin at the end of World War II, when the US military academy begin hosting a small invitational for 25 schools in the hope of creating a strong circuit. The first tournament consisted entirely of northeastern schools, and although many of those schools— like Amherst, Mount Holyoke and St. Anslem’s— have long since dropped out, policy debate has built a strong following. When West Point could no longer support the program, the National Debate Tournament (NDT) fell under the auspices of the American Forensics Association. Although there are now several college tournaments, the NDT is the oldest and most prestigious.

History of Policy Debate in High School
The first debate format practiced widely in high schools, beginning in the 1970s, was called policy debate. As policy debate grew in popularity, the more Machiavellian debaters attempted to gain an edge by overwhelming their opponents with as many arguments and as much supporting evidence as possible.

Policy Debate Round Set- Up

 * The debaters sit facing the judge
 * Instead of tables, debaters may have desks or something else
 * There may be an audience, but most debates don’t have one