As stewards of historical documents, objects, and places, public history institutions are well-positioned to present history in ways that develop today's students into tomorrow's informed and active citizens. This article illustrates how public history institutions are equipped to engage students with the tools and techniques they need to become stronger participants in civic life. Museums, archives, and historic sites share rich historical context for contemporary debates, bring civic principles to life, and create practice spaces for students to navigate multiple perspectives on history and develop their own interpretations of the past. Through their work with teachers and students, the authors argue that students who can hold competing ideas about other individuals from the past are better able to see another's perspective in the present and thus better equipped to engage in civil conversations. They believe that the more models and primary sources that museums, historic sites, and archives provide for teachers and students to explore what being an active citizen means at the community, state, and national level, the less abstract democratic principles become.