Writing Contest – Bill of Rights Foundation
This is from an email I received over the weekend.Hi Geoff, I am excited to tell you about our BRAND NEW Scholarship Contest for high school students. The We The Students Scholarship Contest runs through November 16, 2012, so encourage your students to enter today. Students will grapple with the questions: What role do the ideas of the Constitution have today? What rights should the government protect? This is similar to the VFW contest that you were asked to do in Blog #41. The details of the essay are below. It’s longer and a lot more detailed (20 points max extra credit).To participate in the contest, high school students will answer three questions around the ideas of the Constitution and the role of government. One $4,000 prize will be awarded for first place, one $2,000 prize for second place, and one $1,000 prize for third place. Two $500 prizes will be awarded for honorable mentions. At the Institute, we know your impact on students’ lives is invaluable – but in an effort to support your hard work, we have set up the contest with teacher prizes. When your students win, you win! The teachers of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will each receive a $100 cash prize. For more information, visit the We The Students Scholarship Contest page. – Veronica Veronica Burchard Questions to answer for the essay: 1. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” Please analyze and discuss how ONE of the Founding principles (choose from the list below) found in the Constitution helps preserve liberty, and why that principle is still important today. (up to 500 words)
2. Most high school students are too young to vote. However, that doesn’t mean that – as citizens – they can’t actively help to shape our world today. Based on your beliefs about being an involved citizen, how would you convince an apathetic classmate that they should take an active role in shaping their community and the nation. Feel free to use personal examples. (up to 500 words) 3. Read the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (a) Please provide a critical analysis comparing the United States’ Founding documents and the UN’s Universal Declaration in regard to ONE of the following three categories: (up to 500 words)
(b) After comparing the documents, which do you think best protects individual liberty? Defend your view. (up to 300 words) |