A National Essay Contest for High School Students

"George Washington and the Formation of the American Character"

I believe, or at least I hope, that there is public virtue enough left among us, to deny ourselves everything but the bare necessaries of life, to accomplish our end.”
—George Washington

ESSAY CONTEST: George Washington's leadership and legacy remain an important part of American identity. ISI is committed to keeping the vital lessons of the American Founding alive for the rising generation through this prestigious essay contest on "George Washington and the Future of the American Presidency."

FOCUS AND FORMAT OF THE ESSAY: Charles de Gaulle once scoffed at the suggestion that he was indispensible to the effort to rebuild France and Western Europe in the wake of WWII, responding that “the cemeteries are full of indispensible men.” It is tempting to believe, however, that at the time of the American founding, George Washington may well have been the exception to de Gaulle’s rule. He conspicuously stands out from among the other central figures of the founding era and earns Lighthorse Harry Lee’s encomium as having been “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen....”

The task of defining American identity is an ongoing, and seemingly endless, project—and one that each generation must take up anew. Answers to the question of what constitutes the distinctly American character range far and wide, taking on a different cast when examined through the respective disciplinary lenses of history, political science, economics, or the arts.

Cosponsored by our friends at the Circe Institute.

Careful study of the nation’s founding architects reveals a remarkably diverse and complex set of animating convictions that only compound the challenge of defining the American character. Like his renowned contemporaries, Washington’s personal narrative was hardly monochromatic. It may well be that his enduring contribution to the American personality is the imprint of both his personal and public identity upon the nation he loved and served.

Students participating in this essay contest are asked to consider at least two central elements of Washington’s public or private life that found expression in American identity. Essayists are encouraged to consider how those characteristics have been weakened or strengthened over the past two centuries and what this suggests about the American character.

Contest Scholarship Awards:

1st Place:	$1,000
2nd Place:	$500
3rd Place:	$250
4th – 10th Place:	Set of ISI Books on "Order and Liberty at the Founding"

Click here to see the 2007 Winners.

Download the essay contest brochure here (PDF).

For information on upcoming essay constests, please contact essaycontest@isi.org.