Read this note for more information about the 8th annual Philip L. Carret Thomas Jefferson Essay Competition, including this year's question and a complete list of contest rules...
Individual submissions are invited for the 2004 Carret Essay Competition. This annual competition is open to all Elon University undergraduate students. Essays of approximately 1,500 words should be submitted in response to the following question:
“Historian Joseph Ellis has written that ‘for Jefferson, more than any other major figure in the revolutionary generation, the West was America’s future.’ Jefferson himself spoke of the West as the ’empire of liberty.’ Why did Jefferson and his generation attach such enormous importance to the West, and what complications did they encounter?”
Your paper must be appropriately documented and must include an annotated bibliography. (“Annotated” means that you write 2-3 sentences evaluating each entry.)
The top three essays will receive the following awards:
- 1st Place: $1,000
- 2nd Place: $600
- 3rd Place: $400
In addition to receiving the prize money, the first place winner will be invited to tour Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello and stay overnight at The International Center for Jefferson Studies, courtesy of Dr. Daniel P. Jordan, president of The Thomas Jefferson Foundation.
Contest rules:
- All entries must be typed, double-spaced, on numbered pages, with a cover sheet containing the title only
- The writer’s name should not appear on the paper itself. Instead, an index card containing the author’s name, local address, phone number and the title of the paper should be attached
- Essays must be fully documented using any standard documentation style
- Submissions must be handed in to Ms. Melissa Holmes, Registrar’s Office, Alamance 102, by 4:30 p.m., on FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2004
- All entries will be judged by a faculty panel. The identities of the authors will not be revealed to the judges until judging is completed
- Essays will be judged according to the quality and the creativity of the response to the question asked. Additional criteria for judging include the following: quality of written English; quality of logical and rhetorical strategies; thoroughness of research; accuracy and completeness of documentation; individuality and style
- Students may want to consult a core of materials placed on reserve in Belk Library
- Winners will be announced at the Carret/Jefferson Dinner on Monday, April 19, 2004.
Questions about this competition should be directed to Clyde Ellis, associate professor of history, Powell 216, phone 278-6417; or to Mark R. Albertson, university registrar and assistant to the provost, Alamance 102, phone 278-6677.
For more information on the 8th annual Philip L. Carret “Thomas Jefferson” Essay Competition, visit the link below: