Is Lincoln’s Reputation Deserved? A Debate Between Harry Jaffa And Thomas DiLorenzo

To read the transcript of the debate visit http://www.independent.org/events/transcript.asp?eventID=9.

To listen to an audio of the debate visit http://www.independent.org/events/audio_detail.asp?eventID=9.

My own assessment of the debate is that pro-Lincoln Harry Jaffa had great opening remarks. As for anti-Lincoln Thomas DiLorenzo, his primary speech was more interesting than anything else. If the debate simply ended with the opening remarks, however, it would have illustrated little in terms of making a judgment on who won the debate. The rebuttals were more interesting than anything else. When it came to the short rebuttals, I thought Jaffa did much better, that his rebuttal more directly addressed issues brought up in the course of the debate and displayed a breadth of historical knowledge. In fact, Jaffa's short response on the Fugitive Slave Law that followed the official five minute rebuttals was a great example of a direct response to DiLorenzo that DiLorenzo had no good response to in return. In fact, in the Q & A back and forth, I think Jaffa came across as much more historically aware. The bottom line is that DiLorenzo's initial speech was unconvential and very interesting, and Jaffa's initial speech was likewise informative, but the rebuttal and Q & A definitely gave Jaffa the uppher hand and made him the winner of this debate in his ability to respond and show his breadth of historical knowledge.

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