American Legion Boys State has been a program of the National Americanism Commission since 1935. Forty-nine states conduct this program of citizenship education and instruction in the operation of government.
At Boys State, high school students are exposed to the rights and privileges, the duties and responsibilities of a franchised citizen. The training is objective and practical with city, county, and state governments operated by elected and appointed officials duly placed in office by citizens of a Boys State. Activities include legislative sessions, court proceedings, law enforcement presentations assemblies, bands, glee clubs, and recreational programs.
High school juniors are selected cooperatively by school officials and Legionnaires to participate in Boys State. More then 28,000 boys take part annually in the program. They learn the wheels of politics as they operate their own government, acquiring the knowledge and practical experience the knowledge and practical experience that is vital to the development of responsible citizenship.
Two of the most outstanding participants in each of the 48 Boys State programs are invited to participate in American Legion Boys Nation. This activity, held annually in Washington DC, also emphasizes citizenship education but is centered on the study of the federal government and its supporting agencies.
Like American Legion Boys State, Boys Nation is an exercise in the two-party system of government. Each delegate becomes a senator and is assigned to one of two parties, Nationalist or Federalist. The boys caucus, organize into committees, conduct hearings and act on bills that they introduce into the Boys Nation Senate. People who are prominent on the Washington scene, participate in Boys Nation providing their expertise on the many facets of federal government. Special visits to federal agencies, national shrines and other points of interest are include in the busy week long session.
Organization of parties, conventions, the nomination and election of a President of Boys Nation, all provide practical experience in politics and the administration of a republic. These and similar activities create an understanding of, and an appreciation for, our system of government.