A Conservative History of the American Left

Essay Contest

Young America’s Foundation is excited to announce A Conservative History of the American Left essay contest with more than $20,000 available in scholarships and prizes.

The contest is based on Foundation Alumnus Daniel J. Flynn’s latest book which uncovers the surprising origins of today’s Left. The first work of its kind, A Conservative History of the American Left tells the story of this radical movement–one that came to America’s shores with the earliest settlers.

Purchase the Book

Essay Question:

The essay contest is open to all full-time undergraduate students or high school seniors entering college in the fall of 2008. Participants are asked to answer the following question:

Can there be an American Left? Since Robert Owen made his July 4, 1826, Declaration of Mental Independence from the trinity of the most monstrous evils —private property, traditional religion, and marriage—the Left has crusaded against numerous American cultural markers. Freedom, faith, family, and flag seem essential to the American experience but are often under attack by the Left. Using examples from Daniel J. Flynn's A Conservative History of the American Left, craft a 1,200 word essay outlining ways that American leftists have at times sought to conform to the surrounding culture and at other times rebel against it, ultimately answering the question: Can there be an American Left, or must radicals—by virtue of an alien ideology—be forever consigned to operating outside of the American mainstream? 

Prizes:

Grand Prize--$5,000 scholarship and waived tuition and travel to Young America’s Foundation’s 2009 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C. and the West Coast Leadership Conference in Santa Barbara, CA.

Second Prize--$2,500 scholarship and waived tuition to Young America's Foundation’s 2009 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

Third Prize--$1,000 scholarship and waived tuition to Young America's Foundation’s 2009 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

Fourth Prize--$500 scholarship and waived tuition to Young America's Foundation’s 2009 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

Fifth Prize--Waived tuition to Young America's Foundation’s 2009 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

Deadline and Rules: All entries must be post-marked or emailed by close-of-business on December 1, 2008. Essays must be double-spaced and should not exceed 1,200 words. Email submissions should be sent as a Word document and must include name, address, and phone number of the entrant. Please direct all questions and submissions to:

Patrick X. Coyle
Vice President
Young America’s Foundation
F.M. Kirby Freedom Center
110 Elden Street, Suite A
Herndon, VA 20170
pcoyle@yaf.org

Full tuition to the National Conservative Student Conference is approximately $2,000 per student. Winners may not receive a check for tuition in exchange for attending the program. Scholarship will be sent directly to the student’s account at their respective college.

Judges:

Kirby Wilbur
Kirby is the morning drive talk show host for KVI Radio, 570 AM in Seattle. He is a 1981 graduate of the University of Washington with a B.A. in history. Mr. Wilbur has worked for the King County Assessor and as a real estate appraiser. He founded his own firm, Liberty Consultants, in 1985 and began work as a talk show host in 1993.

Andrew Breitbart
Mr. Breitbart is an author, occasional guest commentator for political news programs and is best known as a contributor for the popular U.S.-based Drudge Report website. He currently runs his own news portal, Breitbart.com.

Paul Kengor
Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, a four-year, private Christian liberal arts college located in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is executive director of the Center for Vision & Values, a Grove City College think-tank/policy center. He is also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University.