3.03 page 3 Resolutions of Fact

A fact resolution requires that the affirmative debater to prove that the resolution’s premise is true. The negative team must demonstrate that the affirmative team has not done so.

Fact resolutions do not require debate about the moral truth of the resolution. An example fact resolution is “Resolved: U.S. policies established after September 11, 2001, have substantially reduced the risk of terrorist acts against the United States.”

This resolution requires that the affirmative prove two things: that the risk of terrorist attacks has been reduced and that the policies established after September 11 caused that reduction. The affirmative team does not have to prove that the new policies are beneficial to the country or that safety is more valuable than civil liberties; in fact, an affirmative team that attempts to prove these larger claims is only making their job more difficult.