To preserve and protect the civic values and principles of the Constitution, educators must develop in students a deeper understanding of and a commitment to these values. To do this, educators should confront students with cases in history and current events involving fundamental paradoxes of U.S. constitutional government. Students should be taught to seek a balance among contending ideas. As students mature, they need greater opportunities to analyze and apply constitutional issues. They need to know the civic values and constitutional issues that flow from the interactions of power and liberty. This knowledge is a prerequisite to coping effectively with perennial constitutional issues. Students also need to understand the concept of majority rule with minority rights. As citizens, they must decide at what point and under what circumstances rule by the majority begins to violate the legitimate rights of minorities. Another consideration is when and how advancement of minority rights violates or undermines the will of the majority. A primary responsibility of citizenship under the United States Constitution is an ongoing resolution of issues about how to blend and balance the competing claims of majority rule and minority rights. The U.S. experiment in free government requires the citizenry to know the basic principles and values of the Constitution and to think critically about them. (SM)