Barbourville Debating Society (Barbourville, Ky.)

The Barbourville Debating Society of Barbourville, Kentucky, ratified its first constitution on May 27, 1837, and adopted subsequent constitutions in each of the following 2 years. At each of the group's weekly meetings, four members debated a question (two arguing in the affirmative and two arguing in the negative), which was then put to a vote. The society continued to meet until at least 1839; its members included future United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller.

From the guide to the Barbourville (Ky.) Debating Society minutes, 1837-1839, 1922, 1954, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)