This is an educational program developed and administered by the Center for Civic Education and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The program was established in 1987 under the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. Arizona’s program is administered by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education and funded in part by the Arizona Supreme Court and the Center for Civic Education.

The primary goal of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is to promote civic competence and responsibility among the nation’s students through classroom curriculum about the history and philosophy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The program is used in grades 4 –12.

The competition is for high school students. Students prepare for these hearings by completing a semester instructional program using the We the People curriculum. Each member of the class becomes an expert witness on one of the six units in the text and then testifies in small groups before a panel of judges acting as U. S. Congressional Representatives. During the simulated congressional hearing, students are judged on the following criteria: understanding, constitutional application, reasoning, supporting evidence, responsiveness, and participation.

Visit We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

Volunteer Opportunities

School Year
Attorneys, judges and community members serving as scholars in classrooms preparing expert witness testimonies on one of the 6 units for the simulated congressional hearings.

December
Payson, Lake Havasu City, Phoenix, Tucson
Attorneys, judges and community members participating in the State Competition as judges. Timers are also needed

January
Phoenix
Attorneys, judges and community members participating in the District Showcase as judges. Timers are also needed