Over the course of this week, Richmond will ring with stirring oratory, as it has many times before. But this time it isn’t politicians or patriots who will be offering their opinions. The state capital is hosting the National Speech & Debate Tournament for the first time. The competition brings some 7,000 students from 1,500 schools to debate important topics. It’s billed as the largest academic competition in the country. “We believe in the power of speech and debate to transform lives and shape the future,” Scott Wunn, the executive director of the National Speech & Debate Association, said. “Our mission is to empower young minds to become effective communicators, critical thinkers, and engaged citizens.” More than 100,000 students competed this past year for the opportunity to come to Virginia this week. They took part in speech and debate competitions across the country—there are more than 100 National Speech & Debate Association districts—for a chance to qualify. Students compete in their geographic districts, and each district sends qualifiers to the national tournament. There will be group and individual competitions, which involve giving speeches and engaging in debates. Virginia’s junior senator, Democrat Tim Kaine, kicked off the event on Monday morning. Kaine himself once took part in the National Speech & Debate Tournament. Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will receive the 2026 Communicator of the Year award for his “Disagree Better” initiative.  The bipartisan showing fits snugly with the host city’s stated goal: improving the civic debate for generations to come. “Richmond is positioning itself as a next big leader in civil discourse and as a city that believes young people should learn how to disagree with respect, speak with evidence, and participate confidently in public life,” Maggie McVicar, the director of communications at The Richmond Forum, explained. Her organization hosts the nation’s largest Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative and brings internationally known speakers to the state capital each year. The tournament is the culmination of years of work. “In 2018, when we launched the Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative, only 14% of local public middle and high schools had active speech and debate programs,” Heather Crislip, the executive director of The Richmond Forum, said. “Since then, we’ve been able to grow to 90% of high schools and about a quarter of all middle schools. We are the fastest-growing speech and debate initiative in the country.” This week’s sessions will be held all week at locations including the Greater Richmond Convention Center, the Altria Theater, and six area high schools. “Hosting this tournament in Virginia in 2026 connects the founding ideals of free expression and self-government with the young people who will carry those ideals forward,” The Richmond Forum’s McVicar said. “In a state where historic debates helped shape the nation, thousands of students will practice the same essential work by testing ideas, speaking with conviction, and learning how democracy actually functions. It turns an anniversary about the past into a living moment about the future.” Indeed, the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday this year in large part because of the words used by citizens of the Old Dominion. That sometimes meant the written word, as with Thomas Jefferson’s efforts in the Declaration of Independence. It also involved stirring speeches, such as Patrick Henry’s famous words at St. John’s Church in 1775, which included the famous line: “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Henry spoke extemporaneously, and his speech wasn’t published until 1817, many years after his death. Still, the presentation inspired delegates at the Second Virginia Convention to pass Henry’s proposed resolutions, and it put Virginia on a path to independence from King George III. Patrick Henry himself would soon serve as the first governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This week’s speakers probably won’t have such an immediate impact. However, there is no doubt that America’s future leaders will have the chance to speak in Virginia this week, as they so often have in the past. The final rounds will be on Thursday and Friday and will be streamed live. The country will be listening. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.