This research argues that the transatlantic environment of Louisiana and the creolization process that was a part of that environment in the early nineteenth century were instrumental in fostering a public democratic culture which developed outside of formal education and which was not contingent upon legal realities and political rights. It…

John Dewey said that "democracy needs to be reborn in each generation and education is its midwife." While there has been criticism of the Bush administration's post-9/11 agenda, there is little recognition of the role that his education policy played to rebirth democracy for a nation in crisis. This paper analyzes the ways that 9/11 has…

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 is a fundamental document in the development of the United States. It is outranked in importance only by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The immediate purpose of the Northwest Ordinance was to provide government for the largely unsettled lands north and west of the Ohio River. In promising…

The founding fathers of the United States were products of a classical education, and they used the Greek and Roman classics as republican models and classical virtues. In their writings, the founders frequently associated liberty and republicanism with the ancient commonwealths. John Adams spoke on three separate occasions of the need to reflect…

A major constitutional issue in the twentieth century is the extent to which the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted to fit changing times and circumstances. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Supreme Court dispensed a "mechanical jurisprudence" based on an "objective" interpretation of the Constitution and…

The history of political education is coincident with the history of republican political theory. The basic elements of classical republican theory of government were that sovereignty resided in the people and that authority was exercised through representative institutions. Only populations which possessed republican virtues--respect for law and…

The seminar represents an effort on the part of the Center for Civic Education to create a forum in which teachers would become emotionally engaged with the artifacts, sites and experiences of those that lived through the Civil Rights Movement. The central hypothesis thereby being that such an engagement would transform the ability and willingness…

The core civic ideas that helped form a consensus around a United States Constitution in 1787 are the seeds that produce the civic culture of the United States today. Constitutionalism, republicanism, communitarianism, and classical liberalism were related ideas at the center of U.S. civic culture in the 1780s. Two hundred years later, with some…

Although the collection of papers known as "The Federalist" (first published in 1788) has offered enduring wisdom to lawyers, judges, politicians, and scholars about principles and issues of constitutional government, this classic work has not occupied a prominent place in high school history and government courses. "The…

The importance of teaching moral education in the public schools is emphasized in this report. Three topics are discussed. The first section includes a sketch of the present moral climate of the United States, including evidence drawn from a recent Gallup Poll of public attitudes toward education, recent magazine articles, results of educational…

To maintain the legacy of freedom from the Age of Enlightenment, educators must effectively teach about the interrelated ideas of modern science and constitutional democracy in both social studies and science courses. The United States most directly and fully exemplifies the civic and scientific ideas which have developed as a result of the Age of…

Eighteen States and the District of Columbia were represented at the second conference of collegiate instructors in foreign service training subjects, which was held at the New Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., December 26, 1923, under the direction of the former advisory council and committee of fifteen on educational preparation for foreign…

The materials presented here are visual aids used in a presentation on citizenship instruction for older and physically challenged adults. They consist of a series of "screens" containing information on: demographic information on samples of citizenship students in 1995 and 1997, illustrating changes in the population; motivations of and barriers…

The proceedings contain the papers given and digests of group topics discussed at the 1949 National Conference on Citizenship held in New York. An introduction by the chairman of the conference committee identified the conference theme as "Responsible American Citizens" and noted that discussion would center on citizens in politics, in the world,…

The symposium report focuses on effects of state curriculum mandates on the social studies curriculum. Part of a larger study designed to examine the effect of state law on the introduction and implementation of law-related education, the report is presented in two sections. Section I analyzes social studies mandates in the 50 states. Five…