History in Education for Citizenship in a Democracy

A long recommended central purpose of civic education has been preparation of students for responsible democratic life. The authors of this paper contend that teaching students the domain-specific process of historical thinking and the habits of mind that are incorporated into this discipline-specific act will contribute to students' ability to engage in civic life. They maintain that history must be central to civics and government courses, and that civics must be central to history courses. This article addresses the intellectual focus, direction, and content that the discipline of history provides for civic education, with a specific focus on the ways in which history and civics standards in Indiana contribute to this end and provide a model for other states. Appendix A provides Indiana Standards (USH and USG) Pertaining to the Constitutional Period. (Contains 31 endnotes.)