The Center for Civic Education, based in Los Angeles, California, has its roots in the interdisciplinary Committee on Civic Education formed at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1964. The Committee was established to develop more effective curricular programs in precollegiate civic education. Charles Quigley became the Committee's executive director in 1965. The Committee's programs were field-tested throughout the nation.

In 1969, the State Bar of California asked the Committee on Civic Education to develop a statewide civic education program. This curricular effort, called the Law in a Free Society project, focused on basic concepts of constitutional government such as justice, authority, privacy, and responsibility. The project was designed to serve kindergarten through twelfth grade and was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1981, the Center for Civic Education became an independent nonprofit organization, although it remains affiliated with the State Bar.