This Historic Decisions issue guide, published by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, is based on research done in collaboration with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Historic Decisions issue guides foster the development of deliberative democratic skills through examining the difficult choices Americans faced in the past. The actions presented in these issue guides are based on ideas or proposals actively considered at the time the historic decision was made and do not reflect the views of the foundation, its directors, or its officers.

This issue guide is designed for classroom deliberation on a period of Alabama history that deserves more of our attention: the Creek Indian Civil War of 1813-14. Deliberation is a form of discussion where participants weigh the pros and cons of different approaches to solving a complex problem. Participants work through various tradeoffs or consequences of actions with respect and passion, and, over time, they develop skills required for living in a democratic society: critical thinking, communication, judgment, and empathy.

This deliberation guide focuses on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, encouraging students to examine the choices the Californio indigenous people faced in June 1849 as they determined how they would approach, or avoid, a future as American citizens. As students investigate the cultural, historical, economic, and political context of the time, they will wrestle with and weigh possible answers to the question: What do you do when the border crosses you?

It is March, 1956, in Montgomery, Alabama. 

The date is October 20, 1915.

Almost the entire world is at war because of a tangled network of national alliances. Estimates are that nearly a million people have lost their lives in this conflict. Few predicted that the assassination of Archduke Franz-Ferdinand in Sarajevo over a year ago would lead to such global devastation.