Oratorical Scholarship Program
ATT: High School Guidance Department
RE: The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program 2025
This scholarship contest, “A Constitutional Speech Contest”, is open to students in grades 9 through 12 who are under 20 and a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.
The winner of the County Contest will receive a $500 scholarship and a chance to win up to $4,000 in the A.L. Department of NJ contest. The department winner will compete at the national level where the 1st place award is $25,000 (2nd place $22,500, 3rd Place $20,000).
The contestants will be judged on two parts, the first being an 8-10-minute prepared oration which must be on some aspect of the Constitution of The United States with emphasis on the duties and obligation of a citizen of our government. The oration must be the original effort of the contestant.
The second part is an “assigned topic” discourse to last between 3-5 minutes. The assigned topics this year are:
Amendment 1
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment XVIII
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
Amendment XXVI
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The complete rules and regulations can be obtained at the web site http://www.legion.org/
The Bergen County contest will be held at 9:30 AM on 1/25/2025 at American Legion Post 310, 100 Liberty, Little Ferry, NJ. The winner will go on to compete at the District Level Contest at 9:30 AM on March. 1, 2025 and the Department level (Mar.29 2025 at 9:30 AM.). National competition will be in Indianapolis, IN from 5/16/2025- 5/18/2025. Lodging and transportation for the contestant and 1 chaperone will be paid by the National American Legion Organization.
For God and Country,
Sophia Dmoch,
Department Oratorical Vice-Chair, District 1 (Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic)