ABSTRACT
Liberal education's role in supporting a healthy civil society gained a particular and pointed emphasis in the context of American institutions of higher learning. As Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out, democracy carried with it the very real threat that mob rule, not rational thought and civic virtues, might shape the course of a new nation. Revolution Era leaders in higher education such as William Smith and Thomas Jefferson recognized that liberal education was the principal path to securing a widespread and enduring commitment to civil and religious liberty and the values of tolerance and public civility. Judging by several high-profile publications on civic learning and engagement, however, the academy appears to be deeply interested in reclaiming this territory as a central value. In Civic Studies, editors Peter Levine and Karol Edward Soltan argue that academic research and teaching ought to be in service to citizens, citizenship, and a healthy civil society.
