We often bemoan the decline in civic participation and waning familiarity with the limits to government as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. But Edgefield County’s American Legion Post 30 and Tracy Walsh and are doing something about it.

 

It’s not quite dusk on Monday, September 8, when Post 30 Commander Winston Boddie arrives at a North Augusta church to speak to homeschool students taking Walsh’s class on the U.S. Constitution. Boddie urges these exceptional students to participate in the prestigious annual American Legion Oratorical Contest through which 2 speeches on the U.S. Constitution could earn $25,000 or more in scholarships.

Addressing these future community leaders, Boddie outlined how students should prepare for four phases of the event. The first round of public orations takes place locally in January 2026 and the last phase in May involves finalists receiving an all-expenses paid trip to the national competition at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Scholarships are accumulated along the way, beginning with phase two and may be used for college or trade school tuition. Boddie encouraged students to apply, adding that the field is wide open to take home generous awards.

 

Few students are better suited to win these scholarships. Each academic year, the civically active and politically aware Walsh leads high school-age pupils (and a handful of adults) to a greater understanding of how the Constitution defines our rights. Equally important, she instills the responsibility of citizens, young and old, to apply constitutional limits on those elected to govern our state and country.

 

Walsh earned her teaching chops homeschooling 5 children, now young adults, a combined 20 years of instruction. As then, her instruction today follows the book Constitutional Law for Enlightened Citizens, authored by Michael Farris, a constitutional attorney who has argued, and won, two U.S. Supreme Court cases. A participant in Walsh’s class will learn about early American history, including the Mayflower Compact as the basis of government in our colonies. King George’s violation of that agreement resulted in calls for separation, leading to the Declaration of Independence. Walsh also familiarizes students with different forms of government and dives into the political philosophies that shaped them and our nation.

Throughout the course, Walsh incorporates a biblical worldview that informs the ideals and principles inseparable from the philosophy that birthed our founding documents. That same worldview, she explained, is embedded in the writings of our Founding Fathers, which she also draws from in the class.

 

Armed with a firm foundation in what the Constitution demands, class participants then examine numerous Supreme Court rulings, including recent cases, revealing that the Supreme Court is making new laws from the bench and granting to Congress and the Executive Branch authority to operate outside of the Constitution.

 

Walsh recounts a shocking statement heard from the lips of a newly elected, energized, and patriotic politician who showed up to the freshman class of legislators only to be advised that they can “forget the Constitution.” One might hear this as confirmation that what takes place is a kind of unchecked, legislative sausage-making by the powerful and connected.

 

Walsh, a citizen-expert on our nation’s defining document is so deeply committed that she shares her knowledge for two hours once per week, September to May, at no cost. It’s not too late to enroll but September 29 would be the final date to be able catch up with the class. Public school, homeschool students, and adults may contact Tracy Walsh at EnlightenedcitizensCSRA@gmail.com to enroll.

For information on The American Legion Oratorical Contest, visit https://www.alpost30sc.org/youth-programs or contact Winston Boddie, alpost30sc@gmail.com.