President of Boys Nation
At age 16, Alan Keyes became the first African American elected national president of the American Legion Boys Nation. His speech "The blessings of liberty, the blessings of life" won the Legion's annual oratory contest when he was a high school junior in San Antonio, Texas.
Original caption: July 26, 1967 - Washington, DC: President Johnson today made a grave appeal to American youths to respect the law as he spoke in the White House rose garden to nearly 100 young delegates to the Boys Nation, an annual excercise in government sponsored by the American Legion. At left is Alan Keyes, 16, of San Antonio, Texas, who was elected President of the Boys Nation last night. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)
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