This book is about civic literacy, which is described as "the ability to think critically and objectively about the nation's fundamental premises and practices." The volume examines influential education reports and theorists who have defined the civic literacy debate. The book challenges the dominant perspective of history as presented in nationalistic textbooks and presents divergent viewpoints and perspectives of historical events. The seven chapters are entitled: (1) "The Crisis in Civic Literacy and Foundational Principles"; (2) "America: The Dominant-Elite View"; (3) "America: A Dissenting View"; (4) "The Radical Tradition in Educational Criticism"; (5) "Civic Illiteracy and American History Textbooks: The U.S.-Vietnam War"; (6) "The Persian Gulf War"; and (7) "Civic Literacy and the Gulf War: Critical Pedagogy and an Alternative Vision." (EH)