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Grass-roots activism in the United States

Grass-roots activism in the United States has generally been directed at correcting problems, abuses, and issues that a large number of people believe are not being addressed by the powers that be. The American democratic system encourages such activism even if at times there are forces at work to discourage it as well, notably those who do not want change or who see a specific change as a threat. Different movements have used different strategies, and some have been successful while others have not. Among these movements have been Populism, labor activism in the 1930s, and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. Such movements have had a major effect on the course of American history: 1) they raise issues that otherwise might not be raised; 2) they educate the public about those issues; 3) they mobilize much of the public to get something done; and 4) they prod legislators and others in the government to address these issues.

Populism was the program of the People's Party at the end of the nineteenth century, though populism has become a word associated with the mobilization of the people at the grass-roots level for any purpose. Populism was dedicated to social justice, to overcoming the power of the corporation, and for returning power to the common people. The People's party platform in 1892 was known as "The Omaha Platform." It was adopted by the People's Party at its first national convention in Omaha on July 4, 1892, and was composed by Ignatius Donnelly, a former Lieutenant Governor and Congressman as a Lincoln Republican from Minnesota who later became a Granger and populist reformer. In this document, Donnelly explained the reason for the Populist program in the Preamble:

The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot box, the legislatures, the Congress, and touches eve...

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Grass-roots activism in the United States. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:35, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691107.html