Massachusetts Boys State

What happens at American Legion Boys Nation? A lot!

Senators Gifford and McGuire have been busy. They’ve elected a President and Vice President, debated, and had some once in a lifetime experiences. Photos from the United States Capitol Building, Supreme Court, and Twilight Tattoo.

Of course, the best part of the experience is the friends you make along the way. The last photo features our friends and Senators from Mississippi Boys State.

From the Bay State to the Magnolia State, we’re grateful for our time together!

The American Legion Department of Massachusetts

Washington, D.C.: is very cool.

Lots of great things in store for Senators Gifford and McGuire this week. Keep following along for more updates!

Photos taken from the National WWII memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

The American Legion Department of Massachusetts

📣The Senators from Massachusetts have the floor.

Cole and Ryan have made it safely to American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. They have a busy week ahead!

MA Boys State 2026, let’s get a sound off: what issues do you want your senators to take a stand for? Should they run for any positions? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

The American Legion Department of Massachusetts

Did you miss us? Of course you did.

American Legion Boys Nation begins today! While Senators Gifford and McGuire get settled down in Washington, D.C., take a moment and reminisce on our week together. It’s been a month since we debated, voted, and worked together to make MA Boys State what it is.

Like and share your municipal photos so Boys State 2027 knows how high you have set the bar this year.

We’ve gotten some emails asking for photos from the 2026 session. The one-man operation is working hard. You should have photos in the coming weeks via a shared Google folder to your inbox.

Happy Independence Day from Massachusetts Boys State! 250 years ago, fifty-six founding fathers from thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. The rest is quite literally history.

As Bay Staters, we’re proud of the role Massachusetts played in the creation of our nation. While we didn’t do it alone, much of it started here. Today, we carry that spirit 250 years later.

To our forty-nine partners in the United States of America, we wish you a happy Independence Day. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been the cornerstone of our union. We are all partners in our journey to form a more perfect union.

Have a safe and healthy holiday however you are celebrating!

The American Legion Department of Massachusetts

You asked and we answered!

MA Boys State store is offering free shipping on purchases until midnight on July 7, 2026 using code “FREESHIP”. Go to store.maboysstate.org to place your order.

Thank you for your continued support of MA Boys State!

The American Legion Department of Massachusetts

Happy Juneteenth National Independence Day from your friends at Massachusetts Boys State.

Typically, when we have a full week of programming, our friend Rassii Elliott visits Boys State to teach about the history of Juneteenth and how it’s celebrated today. To paraphrase him: today, we celebrate freedom and independence. When the Union army arrived to Galveston, TX. on this day in 1865, the last people living in slavery in America were freed and they become American citizens at last. That’s something to truly celebrate.

Today, we ask Boys Staters past and present to reflect on lessons learned at MA Boys State and to think about what it means to be an American citizen.

Another day closer to a fully formed state government! Of course, another day of learning.

Boys Staters woke up and voted in primary elections today and have narrowed the field of candidates for Wednesday’s general election. Congratulations to all of the candidates that have made it thus far. Good luck to the finalists advancing to the general election!

While the state legislature waits for a governor to sign their bills, they have been hard at work in debate. The Speaker of the House and Senate President will address Boys State at the end of the week.

The main event of the day was the candidate’s forum. Everyone who won their primary election participated by giving speeches before all of Boys State. After their speeches, they fielded questions from staff and reporters from Boys State’s newspaper, The Citizen. Party Chairmen also addressed Boys State by presenting their platforms. Boys Staters of both parties spent the week codifying their beliefs into their party platforms and it’s always great to hear what Boys Staters stand for.

No day would be complete without athletics. Counties competed throughout the rec period to get closer to being the team that plays the counselors on Thursday’s athletic’s day events.

As a special bonus, Boys Staters took part in selfies with Bobby Tuesday. Hundreds of selfies along with laughs, stories, and moments of levity to break up the day. Thank you to Andrew Hinckley for organizing this event! Your vision and goodwill have fastened the staples that bind Boys State 2026 together!

It’s been a full day and we’re more than halfway done with the week. Boys Staters past and present: think about all of the ways your time here forged you into the person you are today. What lessons learned in the moment that you carry with you now? There is the growth we strive for.

We love Mondays at Massachusetts Boys State.

Our cities and towns are fully empowered to solve local problems and we’re getting to work making budgets, zoning land, and appointing officers within our municipalities to ensure we’re leveraging our talent from all over Massachusetts.

But as we start to look beyond our municipal leadership, there’s more at play. The State House and Senate have met to start debating legislation. By the time our Governor is sworn in, he’ll have many decisions to make about what laws to enact as the executive officer of Boys State.

Additionally, political parties are forming their identities. State committeemen are working to revise platforms to reflect the beliefs of their party members. Candidates for constitutional office are writing speeches to appeal to their peers in convention. The goal? To put forward the best platforms and candidates for Tuesday’s candidate’s forum and win over the hearts, minds, and votes of fellow Boys Staters. There’s no guacamole at these parties but a lot of spirited debate, convictions, and compromise.

There’s still so much ahead but if you’re at Massachusetts Boys State or your son is a Massachusetts Boys Stater, ask this question: how much growth has happened since Saturday afternoon? Truly a lot.

Good luck to all candidates! The stakes are greater than ever before but so are the lessons.