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It is difficult to attempt to assess citizenship and political education in the United States over time or even at one point in time. The country is huge, culturally and politically diverse, and educational decision making is highly decentralized. Thus, to determine exactly what is being taught in the name of political education is not easy. Social studies has traditionally been assigned the responsibility for teaching citizenship, but not all social studies professionals agree about how to achieve this grand purpose. The goals, content, and methodology of political education in the United States are equally diffuse and complex. Because of the complexities inherent in the topic, this paper examined a limited set of issues: (1) who or what was considered a good citizen in the 1960s; (2) dominant course patterns in the schools; (3) criticisms of education leading to reform; (4) political education in the new social studies; and (5) the reactions, impact, and utilization of the new materials. The analysis focused primarily on secondary-level instruction. Four tables are included. (JB)