"How does it happen that every one takes so zealous an interest in the affairs of his township, his country, and the whole state as if they were his own?" asked the French traveler Alexis de Tocqueville during his celebrated visit to America in the nineteenth century. He answered himself by observing that "it is because every one, in his sphere, takes an active part in the government of society." Our commitment to democratic ideals and our common identity are being more stringently tested each year. Facing the twenty-first century, Americans must be prepared to deal with increasingly complex issues at home and across a rapidly changing world. For more than 200 years, skeptics have suggested that our experiment in entrusting the care of the republic to our citizens is foredoomed to failure, and that our differences too heavily outweigh our common bonds, but American citizens have repeatedly proven those skeptics wrong.
The republic is still not perfect; we have much yet to do, as will our children in their time. Citizenship education through the social studies curriculum in our public schools remains a critical element in preparing them to assume their responsibilities. These standards represent a beginning rather than an end. Several years of investigation have led us to this initial identification of what students should know and be able to do in order to meet the challenge laid down by Benjamin Franklin. The commission is now relying on the teachers, parents, and citizens of Delaware to join us in implementing them. If we are successful, the process of implementation will be dynamic rather than static, cooperative rather than dictated from above. As Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. recently suggested, "the American identity will never be fixed and final; it will always be in the making." The same conclusion applies to these standards.