We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution

Legislative Hearings

Teachers may want to hold a non-competitive simulated congressional hearing as a culminating activity in their classroom or their school. The entire class working in teams prepares to answer questions posed by committee members to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles.

• Click here for high school state and regional level questions for 2008-2009
• Click here high school district level questions
• Click here middle school hearing questions

A local school may then choose to go on to the next level of competition. Some congressional districts and cities in Pennsylvania have preliminary competitions. The next level of competition is the Pennsylvania Regional Competition which will be held this year during the week of January 12 – 16, 2009. Nine high schools will be competing: Cheltenham, Elizabethtown, Holidaysburg, Somerset, Marion Center, Hampton, Corry, Montoursville, and Dieruff in Allentown.

The 2008 - 2009 Pennsylvania State We the People Simulated Legislative Hearings for High School Students will be held at the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge on Thursday, February 19, 2009. The state champions then travel to Washington D.C. to represent their state in the We the People National Finals. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Pennsylvania team from Corry Area Senior High School won first place at the Pennsylvania State We the People Competition and traveled to Washington DC.