James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Thanks Fellows for Supporting the Presidential 1776 Award

James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Thanks Fellows for Supporting the Presidential 1776 Award

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to the James Madison Fellows who contributed their expertise to the U.S. Department of Education's "Presidential 1776 Award," a nationwide civics challenge for high school students focused on the American Founding.

James Madison Fellows supported the award by writing for the competition thoughtful, rigorous questions drawn from primary sources. All questions were designed to challenge students' knowledge of the American Founding, including knowledge about the Founders, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention, and the great soldiers and battles of the American Revolutionary War. James Madison Fellows also served as the advisory evaluation judges and proctors to the Department of Education through the semifinals and national finals. Their contributions reflect the Foundation's longstanding commitment to strengthening constitutional education in secondary schools and helping prepare young people for informed civic participation.

"The James Madison Fellows brought scholarship on the American Founding, classroom experience, and devotion to civic learning to this important effort," said Dr. Guy F. Burnett, Chief of Staff & Academics at the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. "We are grateful for all they have done - and continue to do on a daily basis in their own classrooms - and proud of the role they played in encouraging high school students to study the Constitution and the American Founding."

The national finals of the Presidential 1776 Award, featuring James Madison Fellows as the judges and proctors, will be broadcast Tuesday, June 30, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream the next day on Paramount+. The finals mark the conclusion of the first-ever competition, bringing 20 student finalists to the nation's capital after an online qualifying exam and in-person semifinal rounds involving more than 8,000 students from all 50 states and territories.

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and was created by law in 1986. James Madison Fellowships are funded by income generated through a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States and through additional private gifts, grants, and endowments. Additional information may be found at www.jamesmadison.gov.