Summary

A man dressed as a member of the American Legion comes in through one of the doors in the auditorium / theatre space. He walks to the stage, introduces the competition, the rules, and the two competitors, Heidi and Becky. He adds that after their prepared speeches, each competitor will be asked to speak spontaneously, drawing connections between history and themselves, on the subject of randomly chosen Constitutional amendment. He concludes by saying the competition is tough, but that the competition organizers intend to give competitors “an idea of what it will be like when they’re arguing in front of the Supreme Court one day” (15). He encourages the audience to give the competitors a round of applause, and then invites Heidi to speak first.

Heidi begins by describing the Constitution as “a living document … a living, warm-blooded, steamy document” (16). She goes on to compare...