Boys State is a citizenship training program of the American Legion . At Boys State sessions, participants learn the responsibilities of citizenship by holding elections and carrying on the business of government. Those who attend become temporary “citizens” of an imaginary state. They are assigned to counties and cities and divided into two political parties, usually called the Nationalists and Federalists. Participants conduct election campaigns and elect officers of their state. Then they study the business of government and meet much as a state legislature does to pass laws for the imaginary state. The “governor” may sign or veto the laws.
The Americanism Commission of the American Legion directs the Boys State program. The state departments of the Legion hold Boys State sessions each year, usually on college and university campuses. Students entering their senior year of high school are eligible to attend. American Legion posts and civic, religious, and educational organizations sponsor the participants, who are selected for their leadership qualities.
The Boys State sessions include health and recreation programs. All participants have physical examinations and take part in sports. They also may organize bands, choruses, and orchestras. Two representatives from each Boys State take part in the American Legion’s annual Boys Nation, which trains participants in the functions of the United States government .
The Illinois state department of the American Legion held the first Boys State program in 1935. Later that year, the American Legion national convention passed a resolution that approved the Boys State movement across the country. Boys State became a national project of the Legion’s Americanism Commission. The American Legion Auxiliary sponsors a similar program called Girls State.
