What can citizens learn from history about democracy? The Kettering Foundation has sought to answer this question through collaborative research with several history museums across the country, including Presidential Libraries, which educate the public about historical events during the relevant president’s administration. By partnering to create deliberative issue guides about historical decisions, these museums and libraries have found new ways to engage with visitors and educational networks, and participants in historical forums gain experience with public deliberation. Although the events being considered are in the past, participants still learn to engage constructively with people who disagree with them and to wrestle with difficult tradeoffs. As Dr. Malcolm Glover, a consultant with the Clinton Presidential Library, discusses in this video, historical deliberations inevitably also connect to citizens’ understanding of current events and influence their attitudes toward political discussion. Issue guides from the Presidential Libraries’ Advise the President series are available here.

Presidential Libraries and Historic Decisions from Kettering Foundation on Vimeo.