We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

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We The People, sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, is a yearly competition for high school students held in Washington D.C. The competition is styled as a congressional hearing. Each team is divided up into six units, each composed of three or more students. Each unit focuses on a particular area of Constitutional interest - from the philosophical underpinnings and Constitutional Convention to modern day implications.

In preparation for the competition, each unit prepares three four minute speeches in response to formal prompts. On the day of the competition each unit will be asked to present one of their speeches and a panel of three judges will have a six minute questioning period to ask follow-up questions.

In order to qualify for the national competition, a team must win its district and state championships.

According to the Center for Civic Education, "Since the inception of the We the People program in 1987, more than 28 million students and 90 thousand educators have participated." More than 1,200 students participate in the national competition each year.

National Winners 2006 - East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, New Jersey

http://www.civiced.org/wethepeople.php?link=intro