The American Legion
High School Oratorical Scholarship Program
“A Constitutional Speech Contest” - 2009-2010

Contest PurposeThe contest was developed primarily to instill a better knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States in high school students. Other objectives include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.

Another purpose of the program is to assist students in paying the high cost of a college education. The American Legion Insurance Committee provides the scholarship money for the national contest. The first place winner takes home $18,000 and the next two finishers receive $16,000 and $14,000. First round participants in the national contest receive a $1,500 scholarship. Second round participants who do not advance to the final round receive an additional $1,500 scholarship.

Any eligible participant in The American Legion National High School Oratorical Scholarship Program shall be a citizen of or lawful permanent resident of the United States and a bona fide student.

The subject to be used for the eight to ten minute prepared oration in the Constitutional Speech Contest must be on some phase of the Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to our government.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND PRIZES AVAILABLE

NATIONAL CONTEST
FIRST PLACE ……………………….$ 18,000 SCHOLARSHIP
SECOND PLACE ……………………$ 16,000 SCHOLARSHIP
THIRD PLACE ………………………$ 14,000 SCHOLARSHIP

DEPARTMENT CONTEST
FIRST PLACE ……………………….. $ 1,300.00

AREA CONTEST
FIRST PLACE …………. $  350.00
SECOND PLACE ……… $  250.00
THIRD PLACE ………… $  175.00

THERE ARE ALSO CASH PRIZES AT LOCAL AND DISTRICT CONTESTS.Each Department (State) winner who is certified into and participates in the First Round of the National Contest will receive a $1,500 Scholarship.  Each First Round winner who advances to and participates in the Second Round, but does not advance to the final round, will receive an additional $1,500 Scholarship to pursue education beyond High School.

For additional information, contact your local American Legion Post, The American Legion Department Headquarters, 3035 Mt. Zion Road, Stockbridge, GA  30281, 678-289-8883, Fax 678-289-8885, or the Department Chairman as shown below.

CONTEST DEADLINES
LOCAL /POST COMPLETED NOT LATER THAN ….………….   February 21, 2010
(please NO NOT conduct the local contest before January 10, 2010)
DISTRICT COMPLETED NOT LATER THAN …………………   February 28, 2010

AREA COMPLETED NOT LATER THAN …..……………………   March 7, 2010

NATIONAL FINALS CONTEST:  April 9-11, 2010 at University Place Conference Center & Hotel, 850 West Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Quarter-Final and Semi-Final Contests will be held Saturday, April 10; Championship Contest will be held Sunday, April 11, 2010. Rules and regulations on website:  www.legion.org under Programs, Oratorical contest.

DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN: David Burdette, 4210 Lakes End Dr., Kennesaw, GA 30144. Telephone: (770) 428-0400. Email address:   Eligibility

Eligible participants in The American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest shall be citizens of or lawful permanent residents of the United States.

All contestants must be bona fide students herein described as any student under the age of twenty (20) years on the date of the national contest who is presently enrolled in a high school or junior high school (public, parochial, military, private or state accredited home school) in which the curriculum of said high school is considered to be of high school level, commencing with grade nine (9) and terminating with grade twelve (12).. Students must be enrolled in high school or junior high school during the time of participation at any level of The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program.

Contestants must either be legally domiciled within or attend an educational institution within the department (state) where they enter competition. Contestants can enter competition in only one department.

The Prepared Oration

The Prepared Oration must be on some aspect of the Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to our government. The same subject and oration used in the Department Contest must be used in the National Contest.

Contestants may have in their possession a copy of their Prepared Oration in the First Holding Room. They may consult the copy of their Prepared Oration, until they exit the holding room in order to begin the contest, at which time the copy of the Prepared Oration will be surrendered to the contest official who is monitoring the First Holding Room.

In the Prepared Oration, as well as in the Assigned Topic Discourse, quotations must be indicated as such. Where quotations are more than ten words in length, the author’s name must be given in the manuscript and cited orally.

It is acceptable to utilize or incorporate short phrases of a foreign language into the Prepared Oration and/or Assigned Topic in order to develop the argument, establish a point, etc. It is to be understood that the vast majority of the Prepared Oration and/or Assigned Topic must still be delivered in the English language. The singing of a song(s) is not permitted and will result in the immediate disqualification of the contestant. The contestant may, however, quote a verse(s) of a song(s) provided proper attribution is made. A contestant must give both their Prepared Oration and the Assigned Topic Discourse in order to receive the scholarship moneys they are entitled to.

Assigned Topic Discourse

The assigned topic discourse must not consume less than three (3) minutes or more than five (5) minutes for delivery. The purpose of the assigned topic discourse is to test the speaker’s knowledge of the subject, the extent of his or her research, and the ability to discuss the topic as related to the basic principles of government under the Constitution.

The assigned topic shall be drawn by the contest official in full view of the audience immediately before the last speaker begins delivery of his/her prepared oration and will be made known to the audience and each contestant approximately five (5) minutes prior to the time of delivery. The topic will be on some phase of the Constitution of the Unites States, selected from Articles and Sections as listed under Assigned Topics for 2010 immediately following.

All contestants at each contest level are required to speak in the English language on the same assigned topic.

Assigned Topics for 2010

Article 4 Section 3 Para 1

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

Article 5

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.

Amendment 5

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment 6

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Contest Procedures
The Oratorical Contest starts at the local, Post level. In Georgia, the winners at the Post level advance to the District Contest, the Area Contest and the Department (State) Contest. A drawing shall be held by the official in charge of the contest to determine the order in which the contestants will appear. The Contest Chairman shall announce the title of the contestant’s prepared oration immediately after introducing him/her as Contestant No. 1, Contestant No. 2, etc. The chairman will request the audience to refrain from applause until the Judges have made their decision.

A raised platform is not compulsory; however, it is strongly recommended. The use of notes, amplification, lectern or speaker’s stand by contestants or prompting in any manner is NOT permitted. Props are NOT permitted.

The time allotted for each contestant to deliver their Prepared Oration shall not be less than eight (8) or more than ten (10) minutes and for the Assigned Topic, not less than three (3) or more than five (5) minutes.

An official timer shall be named by the Contest Chairman whose duty it shall be to keep an accurate time record of each contestant, and he shall be located on the main floor in full view of the contestants. The timekeeper shall begin timing each contestant at the start of the Prepared Oration. The timer should be equipped with a stopwatch and time cards for the Prepared Oration carrying the figures 8, 9 and 10. When eight minutes have been used, the time warning card with the figure 8 thereon shall be placed in full view of the speaker, following with 9 and 10 as the speaker progresses. The same procedure shall be used with cards bearing 3, 4 and 5 during the Assigned Topic Discourse. The Contest Chairman shall announce the time consumed by each contestant for the Prepared Oration and the Assigned Topic immediately after each contestant speaks for the benefit of the Judges.

Contestants are required to remain in a private room where the discourse of the other speakers cannot be heard until it is their turn to speak (contestants will be under the supervision of an individual appointed by the Contest Chairman). As the contestants conclude their Prepared Orations, they must return to a soundproof waiting room. As each speaker concludes his or her Assigned Topic Discourse, they shall not be allowed to associate with contestants who have not fulfilled the Assigned Topic requirement.

Approximately five minutes prior to the time of the delivery of the Assigned Topic Discourse, Contestant No. 1 will be informed of the topic drawn for the Assigned Topic and shall be permitted to retire to privacy under the direction of an individual appointed by the Contest Chairman, whose duty it shall be to see that no contestant is permitted to consult any text matter or notes having any connection with the subject matter upon which he/she is to speak, other than the actual words of the topic provided on the card drawn.

Each succeeding contestant will be called upon in the order in which he/she previously appeared. He/She shall also, in turn, be informed of the topic of the Assigned Topic Discourse and shall then be escorted to privacy in the manner as provided for Contestant No. 1.

What to Wear
Uniforms are not permitted. Appropriate business attire is required by all contestants. Contestants are not permitted to wear awards and medals from previous competition.

Judges.
The judges are a very integral part of the Oratorical Contest. Their qualifications are considered carefully as the decision of the judges is final and must be reached without bias. Impartial judging in all contests is the key to fairness and success of the program which results in the selection of a National Champion.

All Department Finals and the National Contest must utilize five judges. No publicity shall be given to the names of the judges in advance of the contest. During the contest, the judges will be seated in different locations in the auditorium and each judge shall render his or her final decision without consultation with other judges or any other person.

Judges will be advised that a lack of emphasis, in the Prepared Oration and the Assigned Topic Discourse, on the duties and obligations of a citizen must result in their downgrading the contestant involved. Judges are permitted to downgrade a contestant up to a maximum of ten (10) points for failure to speak on the Constitution. The Contest Chairman will announce any violation of time for each contestant. A penalty of one point for each minute, or fraction thereof, shall be assessed against the contestant’s total score.

The judges, timekeepers, tabulators and the Contest Chairman, following the last Assigned Topic Discourse, may proceed to a private room for final review and tabulation. 

Tabulators
The Contest Chairman will appoint no less than three tabulators for the Department Finals contest. It will be their responsibility to review the judges’ scorecards to be certain they are fully tabulated and signed before they are submitted for final tabulation.

Judges’ scorecards for Department Finals and the National Contest will not be divulged to anyone at the site of the contest. All National Contest judges’ scorecards become the property of The American Legion National Headquarters.

State and Local Contests
Arrangements for contests leading to the Department Finals shall be the responsibility of each Department (State) organization of The American Legion. For those levels of competition prior to the Department Finals, the rules and regulations to follow are not mandatory; they are offered as a guideline. However, all Department Finals Contests shall conform with the National Contest procedures, rules and regulations.

A winner certified to the National Americanism and Children & Youth Division of The American Legion by a Department which did not conduct its final competition in conformity with the rules and regulations as set forth therein may, in the judgment of the Director, Americanism and Children & Youth Division, or his representative, be disqualified from competition in the National Contest.

Each Department may certify one (1) contestant into the National Contest. If for any reason the Department Winner is unable to compete in the National Contest, the Department First runner-up may be substituted following approval by The American Legion’s National Americanism Commission. A Department First runner-up accepted into National Competition will be entitled to all National awards, entitlements and compensation that the Department Winner would have received had he/she participated at that level.

For information concerning the The Department of Georgia American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program and the Constitutional Speech Contest please contact:

Chairman - David L. Burdette

4210 Lakes End Drive

Kennesaw, Ga 30144

Phone 770-428-0400