A debate is “a discussion, like that of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing points of view” (Dictionary). These can be varied topics such as plastic surgery, animal experimentation or genetic cloning. An interest in debate on the part of students or teachers can form a debate team, such as the Wiley College debate team. Their debate team became so popular because they were the first black debate team to challenge Harvard. The three debates mentioned in the film “The Great Debates” focused on unemployment assistance, the admission of blacks to white universities and civil disobedience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first debate is against Paul Quinn College and the resolution is about how unemployment aid should have ended at the end of the Great Depression. Wiley University debaters oppose this and believe that unemployment assistance should continue, because how can a man grow when society gives him nothing in return. Debater Henry Lowe said that one of the "most powerful sources imaginable" for welfare is "the look of a mother when she cannot feed her children." How can anyone tell their child that they are not able to feed them while still allowing them to meet their basic needs? It also mentions how “A Roman general brought peace to a rebellious province…by killing all its citizens. Even his fellow Romans were shocked. One wrote: “Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant,” which means “They create desolation and call it peace.” In other words, he basically said that you can't solve a problem simply by creating a bigger one and calling it a solved problem. Hamilton Burgess debates “He who does not work shall not eat”. This made sense in the days when there was more work than men willing to do it, but now times have changed and there is less work than men. A counter-argument was put forward when Paul Quinn's debaters said: "we must breathe life into the economy, not tax it to death." Henry Lowe responds with “Paul Quinn's debaters…create desolation and call it peace. They would allow the unemployed to die so that the economy could live. » The second debate is against Oklahoma City College, a white college and the solution is for blacks to be admitted to state universities. During the debate, Henry Lowe brought up the subject of slavery and said: "If someone did not impose something on the South for which it was not ready, I would still be in chains, and Miss Booke here would run the Old Port. Massa.” He implies that sometimes people don't want change because it is in their best interest to stay the same, but society needs it, so it will continue to move forward and grow. Samantha Booke also mentions certain dates that she believes are dates that should be important to history because they signify that the Negro is "not just a color in the fabric of America (but) the thread that holds it all together." In “May 13, 1865: Sergeant Crocker, a Negro, is the last soldier to die during the Civil War”, “1918: the first American soldiers decorated for bravery in France are the Negroes Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts” and “1920: The New York Times announces that the “N” in black would henceforth be capitalized” (The Great Debaters). This means how a Negro should be brought into equality because he is just as important and equally qualified as any..