National Christian Forensics and Communications Association
Encyclopedia
The National Christian Forensics and Communications Association is a speech and debate
league for Christian homeschooled students in the United States. The NCFCA was established in 2001 after outgrowing its parent organization, the Home School Legal Defense Association
(HSLDA), which had been running the league since it was originally established in 1995. NCFCA is now organized under its own board of directors with regional and state leadership coordinating various tournaments throughout the season.
The ten NCFCA regions are:
National opens since 2005:
and the NCFL. These competitors vied for 90 policy nationals slots, 49 Lincoln-Douglas slots, and approximately 400 speech slots. Unlike other leagues, however, individuals are not constrained to one event and may compete in one type of debate and up to five individual events. Thus, 550 nationals slots does not necessarily translate to 550 competitors at nationals. Those who qualify to nationals in five IEs are referred to as "marathoners" and those who qualify in five IEs and debate are called "ironmen." Both are recognized at the awards ceremony and in the NCFCA Hall Of Fame.
From 2002-2007, the NCFCA also provided a different Wildcard event each season:
Since 2007, there have been no new Wildcard events.
and Lincoln-Douglas debate
.
As the purpose of the NCFCA is to train good communicators, not just good debaters, the use of complicated theory and extremely fast talking (also known as "speed and spread") is discouraged. This is accomplished through the judging paradigm. Tournaments employ a mixed pool of judges, but are mostly made up of lay judges. NCFCA debaters are therefore forced to communicate to all levels of judges.
NCFCA debaters have also successfully competed in the National Forensic League
high school debate league.
. Former NCFCAers dominated the upper levels of the recent NEDA nationals, taking nearly one third of the varsity speaker and team awards.
Most NCFCA alumni compete in the National Parliamentary Debate Association
, the largest college debate organization in the United States. Several NPDA colleges actively attract former NCFCA debaters, including Point Loma Nazarene, Biola University
, Cedarville University
, Hillsdale College
, and Patrick Henry College
. Nearly a dozen NCFCA alumni have competed at national level NPDA tournaments and finished among the top 40 teams in fields of 120 to 320 college teams. Several former NCFCA debaters have competed at the invitation only National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
, an annual tournament where the top 56 college parliamentary debate teams in the U.S. gather to compete every spring. No NCFCA alumni have ever finished in the top 10 of the 56 top college parliamentary teams at the NPTE championships, though NCFCA alumni have been ranked in the top 10 season rankings http://npte.debateaddict.com/unleashed/rank.php?npteyear=2008.
Several NCFCA alumni have also successfully competed in the American Parliamentary Debate Association.
Former NCFCA debaters also succeed in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association. For example, Patrick Henry College
's moot court team has won five ACMA championships from 2005-2011; the team is coached by Home School Legal Defense Association
founder Michael Farris and winners include NCFCA alumni Rachel Heflin, Rachel Blum, Jenna Lorence, and Blake Meadows.
Conversely, NCFCA debaters are less likely to compete in top levels of the larger speed-based collegiate policy leagues, such as Cross Examination Debate Association
and the National Debate Tournament
(though there are some exceptions, particularly on the Liberty University
team), mainly because of major stylistic differences
Team Debate 2011-2012 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its criminal justice system.
Lincoln-Douglas 2011-2012 Values Resolution:
Resolved: In the pursuit of justice
, due process
ought to be valued above the discovery of fact.
Team Debate 2010-2011 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policy toward Russia
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2010-2011 Values Resolution:
Resolved: A government's legitimacy
is determined more by its respect for popular sovereignty
than individual rights
.
Team Debate 2009-2010 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its environmental policy
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2009-2010 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That competition
is superior to cooperation
as a means of achieving excellence
.
Team Debate 2008-2009 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly change its policy toward India
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2008-2009 Values Resolution:
Resolved: When in conflict, idealism
ought to be valued above pragmatism
.
Team Debate 2007-2008 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should substantially change its policy
on illegal immigration
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2007-2008 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States of America ought to more highly value isolationism
.
Team Debate 2006-2007 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be significantly reformed or abolished.
Lincoln-Douglas 2006-2007 Values Resolution:
Resolved: Democracy
is overvalued by the United States government.
Team Debate 2005-2006 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That medical malpractice
law should be significantly reformed in the United States.
Lincoln-Douglas 2005-2006 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the media
's right to protect confidential sources
is more important than the public's right to know.
Team Debate 2004-2005 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should change its energy policy
to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
Lincoln-Douglas 2004-2005 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the restriction of civil rights
for the sake of national security
is justified.
Team Debate 2003-2004 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its policy toward one or more of its protectorates.
Lincoln-Douglas 2003-2004 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That when in conflict, cultural unity in the United States should be valued above cultural diversity
.
Team Debate 2002-2003 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its trade policy within one or more of the following areas: The Middle East
and Africa
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2002-2003 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That human rights
should be valued above national sovereignty
.
Team Debate 2001-2002 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its agricultural policy
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2001-2002 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the restriction of economic liberty
for the sake of the general welfare is justified in the field of agriculture
.
Team Debate 2000-2001 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its immigration
policy.
Team Debate 1999-2000 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
should be repealed and replaced with an alternate tax policy
.
Team Debate 1998-1999 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially change the rules governing federal campaign finances
.
Team Debate 1997-1998 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That Congress
should enact laws which discourage the relocation of U.S. businesses to foreign countries.
Team Debate 1997-1998 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should change its rules governing foreign military intervention
.
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
league for Christian homeschooled students in the United States. The NCFCA was established in 2001 after outgrowing its parent organization, the Home School Legal Defense Association
Home School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
(HSLDA), which had been running the league since it was originally established in 1995. NCFCA is now organized under its own board of directors with regional and state leadership coordinating various tournaments throughout the season.
Structure of the organization
The NCFCA is an entirely volunteer-run, non-profit organization. Tournaments are run by volunteers, who are usually parents, club directors, and league officials in the area. The judging pool includes parents of competitors, NCFCA alumni, and members of the community. Coaches also serve as judges on a strictly volunteer basis. The NCFCA is governed by a board and divided into ten regions. Each region has a regional coordinator and each state has a representative.Clubs
As homeschooled debaters do not have "schools" to compete with, the fundamental unit of the NCFCA is the "club." A club is a group of competitors, coaches, and families who meet together to practice, help one another, and organize tournaments and classes.Regions
The NCFCA is divided into ten regions. This is known as the Regional System and was adopted during the 2003-2004 season to accommodate the growth of the league. Each region receives a specific number of qualifying slots to nationals, the year-end championship tournament held in a different location each June. The number of slots allotted to the region is determined largely by the number of affiliates in that region. A majority of a region's slots are awarded at a regional championship tournament sometime in April or early May, known as "regionals." The rest are given out on an "at large" basis to the highest performing teams that do not qualify through regionals. In previous years, other methods of dividing slots included giving slots to the states in the region, which then held state championships, or simply dividing the slots up amongst a series of pre-regional tournaments.The ten NCFCA regions are:
- Region 1: Hawaii
- Region 2: Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington
- Region 3: Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
- Region 4: Texas and Oklahoma
- Region 5: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska
- Region 6: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- Region 7: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee
- Region 8: Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina
- Region 9: Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia
- Region 10: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont
National Opens
Additionally, a certain number of wildcard slots are awarded each year at competitions known as National Opens. These are large tournaments held mostly at colleges and are open to the entire nation. Qualifying at a National Open tends to be more difficult than a regional qualifying tournament because of their increased size.National opens since 2005:
- 2005: California National Open (San Diego, CA); Colorado National Open (Colorado Springs, CO)
- 2006: California National Open (San Diego, CA); Tennessee National Open (Jefferson City, TN); Colorado National Open (Colorado Springs, CO)
- 2007: Washington National Open (Seattle, WA); Ohio National Open (OH); Texas National Open (Houston, TX)
- 2008: Virginia National Open (Virginia Beach, VA); Colorado National Open (Colorado Springs, CO); Texas National Open (Houston, TX)
- 2009: Texas National Open (Houston, TX); Alabama National Open (Trussville, AL)
- 2010: Texas National Open (Houston, TX); Massachusetts National Open (Wenham, MA); Colorado National Open (Denver, CO)
- 2011: Texas National Open (Houston, TX); Georgia National Open (Lookout Mountain, GA)
Competition
During the 2005-2006 season, there were roughly 5,000 competitors, making the NCFCA the third largest national high school speech and debate league after the NFLNational Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
and the NCFL. These competitors vied for 90 policy nationals slots, 49 Lincoln-Douglas slots, and approximately 400 speech slots. Unlike other leagues, however, individuals are not constrained to one event and may compete in one type of debate and up to five individual events. Thus, 550 nationals slots does not necessarily translate to 550 competitors at nationals. Those who qualify to nationals in five IEs are referred to as "marathoners" and those who qualify in five IEs and debate are called "ironmen." Both are recognized at the awards ceremony and in the NCFCA Hall Of Fame.
Individual Events
The NCFCA offers ten individual events from three categories: Platform, Interpretation, and Limited Preparation. Platform events are memorized informative speeches written by the speaker. The three current Platform events are Biographical Narrative, Illustrated Oratory, and Persuasive Speaking. (Original Oratory was retired for the 2011-2012 season.) Interpretation events are memorized performances of published literary works, usually involving acting. The four Interpretive events are Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Open Interpretation, and Original Interpretation. (Dramatic and Thematic Interpretations were retired for the 2011-2012 season.) Limited Preparation events are speeches delivered with two to thirty minutes of preparation. Limited Prep speech topics are randomly assigned to competitors at their turn. The three NCFCA Limited Preparation events are Apologetics, Impromptu Speaking, and Extemporaneous Speaking.From 2002-2007, the NCFCA also provided a different Wildcard event each season:
- The 2002-2003 Wildcard was Duo Impromptu. Two competitors would randomly draw three pieces of paper with the words for a person, place, and thing. Then they would have four minutes to prepare a five minute skit incorporating all three nouns.
- The 2003-2004 Wildcard was Impromptu Apologetics. It was later renamed Apologetics and has become a standard NCFCA event.
- The 2004-2005 Wildcard was Oratorical Interpretation. The competitor would interpret a famous and/or historical speech.
- The 2006-2007 Wildcard was Thematic Interpretation. Competitors select several pieces of literature and weave them around a common theme. Thematic interpretation became a standard event for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons, but was retired in July 2011.
Since 2007, there have been no new Wildcard events.
Changes for the 2011-2012 Season
On July 10, 2011, the NCFCA announced the retirement of three of its Individual Events: Dramatic Interpretation (DI), Original Oratory (OO), and Thematic Interpretation (TI). Original Oratory was replaced by Biographical Narrative, and Dramatic Interpretation and Thematic Interpretation were replaced by Open Interpretation and Original Interpretation (in which the student may write and present his or her own piece of literature).Debate
The NCFCA offers two types of debate — policy debatePolicy debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government or security discourse...
and Lincoln-Douglas debate
Lincoln-Douglas debate
Lincoln–Douglas debate is sometimes also called values debate because it traditionally places a heavy emphasis on logic, ethical values, and philosophy...
.
As the purpose of the NCFCA is to train good communicators, not just good debaters, the use of complicated theory and extremely fast talking (also known as "speed and spread") is discouraged. This is accomplished through the judging paradigm. Tournaments employ a mixed pool of judges, but are mostly made up of lay judges. NCFCA debaters are therefore forced to communicate to all levels of judges.
NCFCA debaters have also successfully competed in the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
high school debate league.
The NCFCA and Collegiate Debates
As a result of an emphasis on communication and argumentation over speed and theory, former NCFCA debaters tend to do well in college parliamentary debate leagues, as well as communication-oriented policy leagues like the National Educational Debate AssociationNational Educational Debate Association
The National Educational Debate Association is a collegiate debate association emphasizing audience-centered debate. It was founded by debate educators who believe that the debate tournament is an extension of the communication classroom and that even competitive debates should provide students...
. Former NCFCAers dominated the upper levels of the recent NEDA nationals, taking nearly one third of the varsity speaker and team awards.
Most NCFCA alumni compete in the National Parliamentary Debate Association
National Parliamentary Debate Association
The National Parliamentary Debate Association is one of the two national intercollegiate parliamentary debate organizations in the United States. The other is the American Parliamentary Debate Association. The NPDA is a relatively young organization, but it is now the largest college debate...
, the largest college debate organization in the United States. Several NPDA colleges actively attract former NCFCA debaters, including Point Loma Nazarene, Biola University
Biola University
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...
, Cedarville University
Cedarville University
Cedarville University is a private, co-educational liberal arts university located in Cedarville, Ohio.At its founding, the school was affiliated with the conservative General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America. Today, Cedarville is a Southern Baptist school known for its...
, Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
, and Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
. Nearly a dozen NCFCA alumni have competed at national level NPDA tournaments and finished among the top 40 teams in fields of 120 to 320 college teams. Several former NCFCA debaters have competed at the invitation only National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence operates an invitation-only national championship tournament once per year for parliamentary debate...
, an annual tournament where the top 56 college parliamentary debate teams in the U.S. gather to compete every spring. No NCFCA alumni have ever finished in the top 10 of the 56 top college parliamentary teams at the NPTE championships, though NCFCA alumni have been ranked in the top 10 season rankings http://npte.debateaddict.com/unleashed/rank.php?npteyear=2008.
Several NCFCA alumni have also successfully competed in the American Parliamentary Debate Association.
Former NCFCA debaters also succeed in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association. For example, Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
's moot court team has won five ACMA championships from 2005-2011; the team is coached by Home School Legal Defense Association
Home School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
founder Michael Farris and winners include NCFCA alumni Rachel Heflin, Rachel Blum, Jenna Lorence, and Blake Meadows.
Conversely, NCFCA debaters are less likely to compete in top levels of the larger speed-based collegiate policy leagues, such as Cross Examination Debate Association
Cross Examination Debate Association
The Cross Examination Debate Association is the largest intercollegiate policy debate association in the United States. Throughout the school year, CEDA sanctions over 60 tournaments throughout the nation, including an annual National Championship Tournament that brings together over 175...
and the National Debate Tournament
National Debate Tournament
The National Debate Tournament is one of the national championships for collegiate policy debate in the United States. The tournament is sponsored by the American Forensic Association with the Ford Motor Company Fund.-History of the NDT:...
(though there are some exceptions, particularly on the Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
team), mainly because of major stylistic differences
Debate Resolutions
NCFCA resolutions are chosen annually by affiliate families through a voting process. Each family is allowed one vote.Team Debate 2011-2012 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its criminal justice system.
Lincoln-Douglas 2011-2012 Values Resolution:
Resolved: In the pursuit of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
ought to be valued above the discovery of fact.
Team Debate 2010-2011 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policy toward Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2010-2011 Values Resolution:
Resolved: A government's legitimacy
Legitimacy
Legitimacy, from the Latin word legitimare , may refer to:* Legitimacy * Legitimacy of standards* Legitimacy * Legitimate expectation* Legitimate peripheral participation* Legitimate theater* Legitimation...
is determined more by its respect for popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
than individual rights
Individual rights
Group rights are rights held by a group rather than by its members separately, or rights held only by individuals within the specified group; in contrast, individual rights are rights held by individual people regardless of their group membership or lack thereof...
.
Team Debate 2009-2010 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its environmental policy
Environmental policy of the United States
The environmental policy of the United States is federal governmental action to regulate activities that have an environmental impact in the United States...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2009-2010 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
is superior to cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
as a means of achieving excellence
Excellence
Excellence is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards. It is also an aimed for standard of performance.-History:...
.
Team Debate 2008-2009 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly change its policy toward India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2008-2009 Values Resolution:
Resolved: When in conflict, idealism
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
ought to be valued above pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
.
Team Debate 2007-2008 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should substantially change its policy
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
on illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2007-2008 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States of America ought to more highly value isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
.
Team Debate 2006-2007 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be significantly reformed or abolished.
Lincoln-Douglas 2006-2007 Values Resolution:
Resolved: Democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
is overvalued by the United States government.
Team Debate 2005-2006 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
law should be significantly reformed in the United States.
Lincoln-Douglas 2005-2006 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
's right to protect confidential sources
Protection of sources
The protection of sources, sometimes also referred to as the confidentiality of sources or in the U.S. as the reporter's privilege, is a right accorded to journalists under the laws of many countries, as well as under international law...
is more important than the public's right to know.
Team Debate 2004-2005 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should change its energy policy
Energy policy of the United States
The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local public entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards...
to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
Lincoln-Douglas 2004-2005 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the restriction of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
for the sake of national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
is justified.
Team Debate 2003-2004 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its policy toward one or more of its protectorates.
Lincoln-Douglas 2003-2004 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That when in conflict, cultural unity in the United States should be valued above cultural diversity
Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is having different cultures respect each other's differences. It could also mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole...
.
Team Debate 2002-2003 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its trade policy within one or more of the following areas: The Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2002-2003 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
should be valued above national sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
.
Team Debate 2001-2002 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its agricultural policy
Agricultural policy of the United States
Agricultural policy of the United States is the governing policy of agriculture in the United States and is composed primarily of the periodically-renewed federal U.S. farm bills.-History:Over the first 200 years of U.S...
.
Lincoln-Douglas 2001-2002 Values Resolution:
Resolved: That the restriction of economic liberty
Economic freedom
Economic freedom is a term used in economic and policy debates. As with freedom generally, there are various definitions, but no universally accepted concept of economic freedom...
for the sake of the general welfare is justified in the field of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Team Debate 2000-2001 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
policy.
Team Debate 1999-2000 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on Census results...
should be repealed and replaced with an alternate tax policy
Tax reform
Tax reform is the process of changing the way taxes are collected or managed by the government.Tax reformers have different goals. Some seek to reduce the level of taxation of all people by the government. Some seek to make the tax system more progressive or less progressive. Some seek to simplify...
.
Team Debate 1998-1999 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially change the rules governing federal campaign finances
Campaign finance in the United States
Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels.At the federal level, the primary source of campaign funds is individuals; political action committees are a distant second. Contributions from both are limited, and direct...
.
Team Debate 1997-1998 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
should enact laws which discourage the relocation of U.S. businesses to foreign countries.
Team Debate 1997-1998 Policy Resolution:
Resolved: That the United States should change its rules governing foreign military intervention
Overseas interventions of the United States
The United States has been involved in a number of overseas interventions throughout its history.- Before the Cold War :The Barbary Wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries were the first was waged by the United States outside it's boundaries after the War of Independence...
.
National Championship Locations
- 1998: Home School Legal Defense AssociationHome School Legal Defense AssociationThe Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
– Purcellville, Virginia - 1999: Home School Legal Defense AssociationHome School Legal Defense AssociationThe Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
– Purcellville, Virginia - 2000: Point Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...
– San Diego, California - 2001: Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara UniversitySanta Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
– Santa Clara, California - 2002: Blackman High SchoolBlackman High SchoolBlackman High School is a high school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States which is operated by the Rutherford County Schools. The school was established in 2000 to complement the already-built Blackman Elementary School...
– Murfreesboro, Tennessee - 2003: Cedarville UniversityCedarville UniversityCedarville University is a private, co-educational liberal arts university located in Cedarville, Ohio.At its founding, the school was affiliated with the conservative General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America. Today, Cedarville is a Southern Baptist school known for its...
– Cedarville, Ohio - 2004: Liberty UniversityLiberty UniversityLiberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
– Lynchburg, Virginia - 2005: Point Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...
– San Diego, California - 2006: Patrick Henry CollegePatrick Henry CollegePatrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
– Purcellville, Virginia - 2007: University of Mary Hardin-BaylorUniversity of Mary Hardin-BaylorThe University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, generally referred to as UMHB, is a Christian co-educational liberal arts institution of higher learning located in Belton, Texas, United States. Founded by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as "Baylor Female College," it has grown to approximately 2,700 students...
– Belton, Texas - 2008: Berry Middle School – Birmingham, Alabama
- 2009: Bob Jones UniversityBob Jones UniversityBob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
– Greenville, South Carolina - 2010: Regent UniversityRegent UniversityRegent University is a private coeducational interdenominational Christian university located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school was founded by the American televangelist Pat Robertson in 1978 as Christian Broadcasting Network University. A satellite campus located in...
– Virginia Beach, Virginia - 2011: Gordon CollegeGordon College (Massachusetts)Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J...
– Wenham, Massachusetts