The Constantia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is offering an opportunity for students in public, private and home schools to participate in American history essay contests.

The American History Essay Contest is for grades 5-8. The topic is “The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the United States Congress on June 4, 1919, and was ratified on August 18, 1920. This amendment granted all American women the right to vote and hold elective office. Many Americans at the time viewed this as a radical change to the U.S. Constitution. Imagine you are living in 1919 while the women’s suffrage campaigns were having impact on Americans politically and socially. Discuss the pros and cons of this new amendment the U.S. Congress has passed.”

Fifth-grade students should write 300 to 600 words, while students in sixth through eighth grades should write 600 to 1,000 words.

The Christopher Columbus Essay Contest is for students in ninth through 12th grades, and essays should be 800 to 1,200 words. The topic is “The three-ship fleet of Christopher Columbus included two ships known as caravels, Nina and Pinta, and one larger ship which served as Columbus’ flag ship, Santa Maria. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these late 15th-century ships compared to the modern ships of today and how they would have been prepared for his voyage.”

The due date for the contests is Oct. 26. Contact Linda Riddick at 934-1831 or linriddick@verizon.net for exact rules on format and more.

Entries should be brought or mailed to Linda Riddick, Chairman, 407 Locust Court, Suffolk, VA 23434 or to Amy Callis, Member, King’s Fork High School, 351 Kings Fork Road, Suffolk, VA 23434. Their emails are linriddick@verizon.net or amycallis@spsk12.net.