Civics in the Secondary School
ALBERT H. SANFORD, Editor.
THE CORRELATION OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS.
In the year 1906 a committee of the North Central History Teachers’ Association made an investigation of the relations existing between American History and Civics in secondary schools, their report being printed in the Proceedings of that date. A portion of the report consisted of an outline showing the possibility of correlating many topics in these two subjects. In response to numerous requests this portion of the report is here re-printed. In their conclusions, the committee recommended correlation as far as this is feasible; but they emphasized the fact that many important topics in Civics would not be adequately treated by this method, and hence should be taught separately. The arguments supporting this and other conclusions are to be found in the full report referred to above. The committee consisted of the following: Albert H. Sanford, Carl Russell Fish, Mildred Hinsdale, C. C. Bebout, and Mary Louise Childs.
An Outline Showing the Correlation of American History with Civics.
(1) COLONIAL HISTORY.
| HISTORY TOPICS. | CIVICS TOPICS. |
| A—Local Governments. | |
| Town Type in New England. | Town Organization of To-day. |
| Aristocratic County Type in the South. | County Organization in Southern States. |
| Combined Town and Democratic County Type in Middle Colonies. | Towns and Counties in all Western States. |
It is not intended that the Civics topics stated above shall be treated exhaustively; the mere fact of the existence of the organizations that correspond to the colonial types is the extent of the correlation at this point. (Reasons for this restriction will be stated later.) The important thing is that the pupil be taught not to associate these institutions exclusively with the localities in which they originated, but to regard them as the typical forms of organization of those different elements of our population which they carried, or rather under which they marched, westward.
| HISTORY TOPICS. | CIVICS TOPICS. |
| B—Colonial Governments. | |
| Colonial House of Representatives. | State House of Representatives, or Assembly. |
| Colonial Governor’s Council. | State Senate. |
| Colonial Governor and Courts. | State Governor and Courts. |
| Colonial Charter. | State Constitution. |
| C—British Empire. | |
| Control of Foreign Affairs, Peace and War, Indians, ungranted land, and Commerce by Parliament. | Control of same affairs by Congress. |
| Privy Council. | United States Supreme Court. |
(2) REVOLUTIONARY AND CRITICAL PERIODS.
| HISTORY TOPICS. | CIVICS TOPICS. |
| The Formation of State Governments and adoption of State Constitutions. | The Existing States and State Constitutions. |
| Continental Congresses and Articles of Confederation. | The Central Government. |
| The Impotence of Congress. | Our strong central powers. |
| Prominence of State Feeling. | The National spirit. |
| Attitude of Foreign Nations. | Position of the United States to-day. |
It will be noticed in (1) and (2) that the comparisons are between particular facts of our history and some of the more general features of our National government. The details of present conditions may not be understood by students who have not studied Civics separately.
(3) CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD.
Under the topics that follow, we find the history of our present National government, seen in the formation of the Constitution and the workings of the government thus formed. The natural correlation, then, is between the event (either in the Constitutional Convention or in our later history) and that part of the Constitution which thus came about, or which forms the basis for the action of the government described.
The historical topics are not arranged in strictly chronological order, but in the sequence in which they are usually treated. In most cases no mention has been made of events which show the working of the government under a clause of the Constitution that has once been included; for instance, not all the important treaties of our history are mentioned. Enough attention should be devoted to the clause when first mentioned to fix it in the mind of the pupil. In some instances, however, there is repetition of this kind, particularly where the interpretation has changed from time to time.
| A. The Constitutional Convention. | |||
| Art. | Sec. | Clause. | |
| Legislative Department | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| The House | 1 | 2 | 1, 3, 5 |
| The Senate | 1 | 3 | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| Additional Compromise provisions | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| 1 | 9 | 4 | |
| Executive Department | 2 | 1 | 1, 4, 5, 6 |
| Judicial Department | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Commerce questions | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| 1 | 9 | 1, 5, 6 | |
| Surrender of powers by States | 1 | 10 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Grant of these powers to U. S. | 1 | 8 | 1, 3, 5, 11 |
| Ratification of the Constitution | 7 | ||
| The first ten Amendments | 6 and Amdts. 1-10 | ||
| B. The Administrations. | |||
| The election of President and Vice-President, 1789 | 2 | 1 | 1, 2 |
| The oath of office taken by Washington | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Organization of Departments | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| The Cabinet, composed of heads of depts. | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| The Cabinet responsible to the President[6] | 2 | 2 | 2, 3 |
| The Treasury Department | 1 | 9 | 7 |
| The first revenue bills | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Establishment of mint and coinage | 1 | 8 | 5, 6 |
| Census of 1790 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Provisions for U. S. and State debts | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | 1 | ||
| The National Bank, broad and strict construction | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| Legislation on western lands | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Admission of Vermont and Kentucky | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| The Whiskey Insurrection | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 | 8 | 15 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Washington’s refusal to receive Genet | 2 | 3 | |
| Jay’s Treaty | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Case of Chisholm vs. Georgia | Amendment 11 | ||
| Threatened war with France | 1 | 8 | 11, 12, 13,14 |
| Naturalization act | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| Sedition law | Amendment 1 | ||
| Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, | Preamble. | ||
| the nature of the government | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| Amendments 9, 10. | |||
| Organization of the District of Columbia | 1 | 8 | 17 |
| Election of 1801 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Amendment 12. | |||
| Adams’s “midnight judges” | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Case of Marbury vs. Madison | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Impeachment of Chase | 2 | 4 | |
| 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 1 | 3 | 6, 7 | |
| Louisiana Purchase | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 8 | 18 | |
| Cumberland Road appropriation | 1 | 8 | 7, 18 |
| Burr’s trial | 3 | 3 | 1, 2 |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | |
| Prohibition of slave trade | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Embargo Act | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Clay as Speaker | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Action of New England States as regards militia | 1 | 8 | 15, 16 |
| New England opposition to War of 1812, | Preamble. | ||
| and Hartford Convention | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| Amendments 9, 10. | |||
| Treaty of Ghent (another method of negotiating treaties) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Supreme Court decisions as to jurisdiction of States and Nation—Influence of Marshall | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Protective tariff, 1816 | 1 | 8 | 1, 18 |
| Internal improvement laws and vetoes | 1 | 8 | 7, 18 |
| 1 | 7 | 2 | |
| Missouri Compromise | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| Election of 1824 by House of Representatives | Amendment 12. | ||
| Nullification by South Carolina | Preamble. | ||
| 1 | 8 | 18 | |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| Amendments 9, 10. | |||
| Public lands | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Spoils system | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| “Gag rule” | Amendment 1. | ||
| Censure and expunging resolution | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Independent treasury | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| Succession of Tyler to Presidency | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Annexation of Texas by joint resolution | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Declaration of war against Mexico | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| Influence of patent and copyright systems | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Wilmot Proviso—Squatter sovereignty discussion | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Fugitive slave law | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Abolition of slave trade in District of Columbia | 1 | 8 | 17 |
| Personal liberty laws and underground railroad | 6 | 2 | |
| Amendments 6, 7. | |||
| Attempted expulsion of Brooks | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Dred Scott decision | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | |
| Lincoln-Douglas debates; election of U. S. Senator | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Secession and Buchanan’s policy—Legal | Preamble. | ||
| position of seceding States | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| Amendments 9, 10. | |||
| Lincoln’s policy in reinforcing Ft. Sumter | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 3 | ||
| The U. S. army and navy, and the draft | 1 | 8 | 12, 13, 15 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Congressional taxation and bonds acts | 1 | 8 | 1, 2 |
| Legal tender act | 1 | 8 | 2, 5 |
| Emancipation proclamation | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| National bank act | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| Supreme Court decision on the nature of the Union | Preamble. | ||
| 1 | 8 | 18 | |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| Amendments 9, 10. | |||
| Civil Service Act | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Interstate Commerce and Anti-Trust Laws | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Income tax decision | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | 9 | 4 | |
| Reciprocity acts | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| Annexation of Hawaii | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Free coinage | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Restriction of Suffrage in South | Amendment 14, Section 2. | ||
| Gold standard act, 1900 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Immigration laws | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Injunctions in labor disputes | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Postal Savings Banks | 1 | 8 | 7 |