The Bill of Rights Institute is now taking submissions for the second annual Being an American Essay Contest.  To learn more about the contest, download the contest packet here.  The top three winners and their teachers from each region will receive a cash prize of $5,000. The second and third place winners and their teachers from each region will receive prizes of $2,500 and $1,250 respectively. 

Each essay must adhere to the topic “Being an American: Explore the Values that Unite Us” and should fully answer the question:

What civic value(s) do you believe are most essential to being an American, and how can you personally put those values into practice? To support this personal response, reference a Founding document (from the years 1760-1800) as well as a figure from American history exemplifying the civic value(s).

Essays may be no longer than 3,300 characters including spaces; which is approximately 500 words, and must be submitted by a teacher sponsor online by 11:00 pm EST on December 1, 2008. Only online submissions made at http://www.beinganamerican.org/ will be accepted for the Contest. A teacher may submit up to five (5) essays during the Contest Period.

The Contest is open to all United States citizens or legal residents who are students (1) in Grades 9-12 attending public, private, religious, and charter schools but who are no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period (December 1, 2008), (2) enrolled in a GED or correspondence school program but who are no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period, or (3) attending a homeschool program who are no younger than 12 as of the beginning of the contest period and no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period.

Students must attend school in one of the following states (or district), regardless of their state of residence: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Each essay must adhere to the topic “Being an American: Explore the Values that Unite Us” and should fully answer the question:

What civic value(s) do you believe are most essential to being an American, and how can you personally put those values into practice? To support this personal response, reference a Founding document (from the years 1760-1800) as well as a figure from American history exemplifying the civic value(s).

Essays may be no longer than 3,300 characters including spaces; which is approximately 500 words, and must be submitted by a teacher sponsor online by 11:00 pm EST on December 1, 2008. Only online submissions made at http://www.beinganamerican.org/ will be accepted for the Contest. A teacher may submit up to five (5) essays during the Contest Period.