WAYNE, PA — Frances Guenther and SJ McPhedran from the William Penn Charter School have been declared winners of the 2023 American History Essay Contest sponsored by the Jeptha Abbott, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).
Students from any local high school were invited to select a figure from the era of the American Revolution (1773-1783) and discuss how that person influenced the course of the American Revolution. Frances wrote her essay on General Anthony Wayne, who experienced great hardship during his career but ultimately triumphed. SJ wrote her essay on Phillis Wheatley, an African American poet whose poems had a large readership and even reached George Washington.
The NSDAR offers two different history contests each year – one for high schoolers and one for middle schoolers – to be administered by its respective local chapters. In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the DAR launched the “Patriots of the American Revolution DAR High School Essay Contest.” This contest is open to students in grades 9 through 12 and focuses on the men and women who helped in the American Revolution (1773 – 1783). It is hoped that students find Patriots to write about who interest and inspire them. These Patriots could be one of the country’s Founders or everyday men, women, or children who supported the American Revolution in big and small ways. Students are asked to discuss how their chosen Patriot contributed to the founding of the nation. Each year, the instructions can be found online in September and can also be sent to the local high schools by any of the respective DAR chapters in their area.
The American History Essay Contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s history and learn about history in a new light. Each year, a selected topic for use during the academic year is announced, and contest instructions are published online and sent to schools by participating DAR chapters. Students in grades five through eight are encouraged to participate.
Both contests are open to public, private, and parochial school students and registered home-study programs. Essays are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.
Participating chapters send one winning essay from the high school level and one from the grade school level for judging on the state level. The state sends one winning essay from each contest to be judged on the divisional level. Then those winning essays are judged on the national level. State winners receive certificates and silver medals. National winners receive special certificates, medals, and a monetary award.
This year’s Jeptha Abbott, NSDAR, American History Committee members consisted of Historian and Committee Chairperson Becky Guenther, Regent Teri Fischer, and Second Vice Regent Karen Franks Zetterberg.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and the world. In addition, DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890. Go to www.dar.org.
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