ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an alternative explanation for the developments of the 1970s and 1980s by focusing on the grassroots organizing activity that developed in the 1960s and that has continued in many communities throughout the United States. It examines contemporary perspectives on the New Citizenship and devotes particular attention to grassroots neighborhood and environmental organizations as well as student organizations that have developed in the 1980s, the 1990s, and the early part of the twenty-first century. The chapter describes that the study of politics and citizenship in America must move beyond the analysis of voting to capture the multiple ways citizens are involved in the American political system. It evaluates the New Citizenship in its appropriate contemporary context and examines the sources of the Me Generation. The New Citizenship attempts to foster an environment that promotes both an honest exchange of ideas and civility in contemporary American politics.
