2021 prize-winning student essays from the competition based on the following topic:
The U.S. Capitol, Jefferson’s Legacy, and the 45th and 46th Presidents.
In January 2021, the United States Capitol was stormed by supporters of former President Donald Trump and two weeks later served as a backdrop for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Students were asked to consider these two events addressing their objectives, rhetoric and/or visual imagery.How is it possible to make sense of Trump’s speech to his supporters, the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20? How might both events dovetail with the American values articulated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and/or in his vision for the Capitol Building?
