John Adams should replace Jefferson on the nickel.

======= DEFENSE: ======= 1) My opponent made some straw men arguments. He argued that since others "edited" the Declaration, that Jefferson's trimumph of writing the whole document is naught. But, that is foolish. Open up almost any political non-fiction book and you will most likely find hundreds of footnotes. The footnotes contributed to the book, but are they more important than the author. The author also has an editor who edits his book and a publisher who also perfects the book. In the end though, the credit is given to the author, the main author, (Thomas Jefferson). 5) My opponent also uses the same logic for Jefferson's statement of human rights: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He claims that other people have said "similar" statements before. This is true, but the only reason "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." is known to the universe is because Jefferson wrote it in one of the most important documents in the history of man. Let's look at his logic in another light. Communism was known, but not widely-known before Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "Manifesto of the Communist Party" to inform the masses about the wonders of Communism. If it wasn't for this writing, Communism would have had little impact on the world. Also, Capitalism was known, but not widely known before Adam Smith wrote the "Wealth of Nations" to inform the masses about the wonders of Capitalism. If it wasn't for this writing, Capitalism would have had little impact on the world, and Mercantilism could very well be the dominant economic theory today. 2) Thomas Jefferson was the Prez who personally went out of his way to send two men (James Monroe and Robert J. Livingston) to France to negotiate with Napoleon. To say that the Louisiana Purchase fell in his lap is ignoring facts. My opponent also tries to argue that Jefferson hated debt. The Louisiana Purchase (828,800 square miles) was bought for today's equivalent of $213 million. Which equates to 3 cents per acre. Napoleon Bonaparte, upon completion of the agreement, stated, "This accession of territory affirms forever the power of the United States, and I have given England a maritime rival who sooner or later will humble her pride." [1] 3) My opponent's source for his point 3 rebuttal is a link to the Louisiana Purchase, which has nothing to do with my point. My point stands. 6) Pro talks about seigniorage. Seigniorage has to do with collector coins, not normal coins (ie. nickel). Since the resolution is about the nickel and not collector coins, my point stands. 4) ***My opponent concedes CONTENTION 4. ========= REBUTTALS: ========= A: "He was our first vice president." --- How does being the first VP have anything to do with getting on the nickel. Dick Cheney was the 46th VP, should he be on the nickel? B: "Father of our 6th president..." --- Once again, how does being the father of an important person have anything to do with getting on the nickel. Should George H.W. Bush be on the nickel? He was also Prez, and his son was Prez. C: "He advocated justice..." Since John Adams won a trial as a lawyer, he deserves to be on the nickel? Sarah Weddington was the lawyer for Jane Roe in Roe vs. Wade and won, a very controversial case. Does that mean Sarah Weddington should be on the nickel? D: "He was a man of sacrifice..." --- So is every single soldier in the history of the world. Does that mean that a random soldier should be on the nickel? E: "He was Ambassador to Britain..." --- So what? Just because he served as an Ambassador to a country that the U.S. defeated in war, he deserves to be on the nickel? Should the Ambassador to Italy, Germany, and Japan after WW2 be on the nickel... because they also served as ambassadors to countries that the U.S. defeated in war. F: "He never waived in the face of public opinion..." --- Another normal characteristic. My mayor also never waives in the face of public opinion. Nor does Ron Paul or countless other politicians. G: "He was against slavery and never owned slaves..." --- I also am against slavery and never owned slaves, do I deserve to be on the nickel? H: "John Adams had a HBO mini series..." --- Huh? Bill Maher also has a show on HBO, should he be on the nickel? I: "Adams created the Navy..." --- He created the name of the Navy. The Navy obviously existed before Adams. K: "[Jefferson] is on Mount Rushmore, has a memorial at DC, has college named after him, and is on the two dollar bill. What does Adams have at national scale? Nothing." --- Hmm... If I was a lay-person looking at this debate and saw the above quoted statement, I would think that Thomas Jefferson is the much more important person. A more important person deserves more recognition than a no-name (John Adams). L: "Appointed John Marshal to the supreme court..." --- There have been 111 Supreme Court Justices, Adams is not unique for nominating a SCOTUS Justice. Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor, the first hispanic, should Barack Obama be on the nickel? ===== I have proved that Thomas Jefferson is more influential than John Adams and also that there is a negative economic motive to put John Adams on the nickel. I have proved that John Adams is unique in no way whatsoever, as evidenced by my rebuttals of Pro's contentions. Resolution negated. ======= SOURCE: ======= [1] http://en.wikipedia.org...