American freedom was not won by chance but was built on the constitutional principles of the Founding. Each generation bears the responsibility to preserve those ideals and pass them on, ensuring that the blessings of liberty endure. With civic literacy in decline, the Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy launched the Vision of Liberty Scholarship Competition to challenge students to engage directly with the principles that sustain American self-government. Now, we’re proud to announce the winners!
Efforts to engage students with the philosophies which underpin the American founding are fundamental to the maintenance of a free society. Civic understanding is much more than just learning the mechanics of government. It entails understanding the ideas and historical context that inspired our founding documents. When students delve into the Federalist Papers, the Bill of Rights, or when they think deeply about the way that the separation of powers has shaped civic life in America, they are becoming equipped to be stewards of the American tradition and responsible citizens.
Goldwater Institute’s Vision of Liberty scholarship competition sought to provide an avenue by which students could explore, learn, and teach their peers about concepts fundamental to the American way of life. Through creative videos and essays, middle and high school students were challenged to grapple with our founding principles and articulate their continuing importance in America today. By doing so, they learned how a framework for liberty has facilitated human flourishing and prosperity for millions of Americans.
The winners of Vision of Liberty’s inaugural year rose to the challenge. Their submissions reflected careful research of constitutional topics, as well as a genuine passion for liberty and civic life. The Goldwater Institute is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Vision of Liberty competition:
1st Place: Lydia H. of Arizona (Homeschool)
2nd Place: James O. of Idaho (Homeschool)
3rd Place: Jane G. of North Carolina (Thales Academy)
Through a choice of video or the written word, these students have shared their understanding of the fundamental pillars of our nation:
“Incorporating the principle of federalism benefits our society in many ways. Because of federalism each state can have their own rules and policies that are independent and different from the national government and other states. Each state can adapt to fit the particular circumstances of the area creating the freedom to choose between many opportunities and places…
A state can also experiment with a policy or law to see if it works out successfully and if other states might want to implement it as well. Having the states design their own unique governments, people can move to whatever state suits them best for their happiest life. Federalism, the separation of power between the states and national government, enriches our America the Beautiful.”
–Jane G.
Likewise, through the study and analysis of primary source materials, these students have similarly demonstrated a commitment to studying the foresight and careful deliberations of the founders:
Madison wrote quite a few Federalist Papers and in particular, Federalist No. 39. In it, he says “the act of the people, as forming so many independent States, not as forming one aggregate nation, is obvious… Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act..”
Upon entering, the states did not surrender their sovereignty, only a small part of it: “Its [the federal government’s] jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects.” The Constitution enumerates the full powers of the federal government, and at the very end of it, the 10th Amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people.”
–James O.
Similarly, through the use of video, students have worked to describe to peers the contents and importance of key pillars of the American Republic such as the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments to the U.S. Constitution:
The above students demonstrated thoughtful engagement with America’s intellectual heritage and articulated a clear argument for why the founding principles remain vital today. Their work shows us that the story of liberty is one that lives in perpetuity. As we celebrate the winners—and their teachers—we are reminded that the future of American liberty depends on cultivating citizens who understand the promise and momentous importance of the institutions that were created to protect freedom and to cultivate prosperity of the individual.
