The Lincoln Douglas debate, or LD for short, is an event in speech and debate where participants, surprisingly, debate against another person on a chosen topic. But what does LD look like, and what are the skills necessary? 

 LD was created over 150 years ago when Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas competed in a series of formal political debates in a campaign for one of Illinois’s Senate seats. But what is LD today, and what does it look like for students?

“LD has two main distinguishing points,” sophomore Kyra Morrow said. “It’s debating by yourself and debating morals. You have a value and a value criterion that you have to uphold in your case.” 

LD is centered around modern-day events and what choice is most morally important. The current resolution is “The United States federal government ought to substantially reduce its military presence in West Asia, North Africa.” This topic clearly states what the argument must be made on, but it’s up to debaters to show why it is moral to either support it or go against it. This is where skills as a debater come in. 

“Manipulation of words is a great skill to have,” sophomore Bryson Weddell said. “You also need to understand your opponent really well… You need to be able to pry yourself into a debate”

The needed expertise will vary based on the judge and opponent, but the main skills needed are good perception of the opponent’s argument, quick comprehension, and thinking on your feet. Debaters need to be able to refute your opponent’s arguments; that’s where quick comprehension comes in to make clear and quick decisions. 

“One of the most challenging things about LD is the variety of styles in it,” Speech and Debate Coach Bryson Sapp said. “You have to be prepared for the debate to go in different directions… You have to be prepared to debate not just both sides of the issue, but also to debate both sides from several different angles.” 

Unlike your homework, sadly you can’t procrastinate LD. Between analyzing your opponents and looking at the debate from different angle, it takes skills that many don’t have, but if you think you do, don’t wait – join Speech and Debate.