In January 1929, the American Historical Association (AHA) nominated a group of eminent scholars and famous educators to form a Commission on the Social Studies. This article shows that instead of proposing radical or misconceived ideas about the social sciences and the role of schooling in facilitating social change, the commission members offered intelligent alternatives, about which reasonable people could disagree. The evidence for this conclusion is presented. This article aims to provide an investigation into the controversies surrounding the AHA Commission on the Social Studies in order to help readers understand the role of the social studies and the relation those courses should have to the social sciences and to the development of intelligent and active citizens. (Contains 44 endnotes.)