The New Citizenship

This popular book argues that we are not born citizens but must be educated and trained to be citizens. This new edition has been updated to provide recent examples of the need for "new citizenship" Arguing that civic effort must go beyond merely voting and build on the participatory democratic vision of the 1960s, Craig Rimmerman examines grassroots mobilization, community activism, service learning, and the Internet as potential tools for confronting the breakdown of civility in U.S. politics. Why do so many Americans fail to participate in their communities' affairs? What role should the citizenry play in our political system? In addressing these concerns, the text both evaluates the dilemma of participation, civility, and stability at a time when civic indifference is a national problem and outlines its sources, suggesting ways in which Americans can conquer their apathy toward government. This third edition expands the discussion of the internet as an element of the New Citizenship and outlines President George W. Bush's National Service proposals. Finally, the third edition integrates the impact of September 11, 2001 on American civic life, with a particular focus on the consequences of that cataclysmic event for college students and their conceptions of participation and citizenship.