In 1935, amid the tremors of a politically charged era, Hayes Kennedy and Harold Card ignited a bold experiment in civic education, Boys State, backed and championed by the American Legion. What began as a determined response to the rise of “Young Pioneer” camps quickly became something far more electrifying: a living, breathing laboratory of democracy where high school students don the mantle of public servants and learn government by doing. The program’s first session, held with the Legion’s approval on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair, planted a seed that would spread across the nation.
Two years later, the American Legion Auxiliary answered the call for equal opportunity in civic leadership by founding Girls State in 1937, extending the same immersive, hands-on training to young women and weaving the program into the Auxiliary’s long-standing better-citizenship mission.
Decades of spirited debate, fierce elections, impassioned speeches, and real-world policymaking later, the program’s drama and significance were captured on film: a documentary about the 2018 Texas Boys State premiered at Sundance in 2020 and reached wider audiences on Apple TV+, offering a vivid portrait of teenagers wrestling with power, responsibility, and the messy beauty of democracy.
Today, Boys State programs operate across nearly every American Legion department in the United States. While each state runs its own version with distinct methods and traditions, they all share a core promise: to teach government from the township to the state level through immersive participation.
In a landmark move to reflect the needs of today’s youth, the American Legion California Boys State program became fully inclusive in 2023 without merging with the California Girls State program run by the California American Legion Auxiliary, which continues to operate separately. The American Legion California Boys State was rebranded as American Legion California Boys & Girls State, the only American Legion or American Legion Auxiliary program of its kind to adopt full inclusion.
American Legion California Boys & Girls State has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s most respected and selective civic programs for high school students. Originating as a counter to socialist-inspired youth movements, it has grown into a dynamic crucible for leadership: delegates draft legislation, conduct trials, run for office, organize campaigns, and engage with law enforcement and civic institutions. The experience is electric, a place where the ideals of democracy are not merely taught but tested, where tomorrow’s leaders discover their voices and learn the art of governing through action.
As it evolves, American Legion California Boys & Girls State remains a living testament to civic resilience; a vibrant, hope-filled arena where young people step into roles of responsibility and carry forward the democratic values that bind communities together.