The Rise and Fall of Civic Education

Social studies is a field in crisis. The crisis stems from a lack of understanding in the very foundation of social studies purpose in public education: civic education. Social studies theorists have not put forth a coherent method to teach civic education due to the public being unable to agree upon a general definition of civic education. This issue has disrupted the field since the early days. As educators sought to include civic education within public schools with a dedicated field, social studies evolved into a blending of history, social sciences, and civic education. Social studies’ evolution never resolved the differences between the three. Instead of creating a unified field, the disciplines devalued social studies and thus any discipline associated with it. This book investigates the changing definitions and purposes ascribed to social studies in the United States through time. This result can be viewed through the rising tensions from culture wars as America’s divisive politics fights to control the narrative of the disciplines within social studies.