More Info on GrassrootsSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Use mdy dates|date=May 2012Other uses|Grass roots (disambiguation)refimprove|date=October 2011Merge to |Grassroots democracy |discuss=Talk:Grassroots democracy#Merge discussion |date=June 2010A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement ) is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties.
Organizational techniques
Grassroots movement procedures to organize and lobby include: col-begincol-2
Hosting house meetings or parties
Having larger meetings— Annual general meeting|AGM s
Putting up posters
Talking with pedestrians on the street or walking door-to-door (often involving informational clipboards)
Gathering signatures for petition s
Mobilizing letter-writing, phone-calling, and emailing campaigns
Setting up information tables
col-2
Raising money from many small donors for political advertising or campaigns
Organizing large demonstrations
Asking individuals to submit opinions to media outlets and government officials
Holding get out the vote activities, which include the practices of reminding people to vote and transporting them to polling places.
Using online social network s to organize virtual communities
col-end
Origins
The earliest origins of the use of "grass roots" as a political metaphor are obscure. In the United States, an early use of the phrase "grassroots and boots" was thought to have been coined by United States Senate|Senator Albert J. Beveridge|Albert Jeremiah Beveridge of Indiana , who said of the Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive Party in 1912, "This party has come from the grass roots. It has grown from the soil of people's hard necessities."Courtesy: Eigen's Political & Historical Quotations cite web|url= http://www.politicalquotes.org/quotedisplay.aspx? DocID=12869 |title=Beveridge, Albert J.|date= 2006-05-20 In a 1907 newspaper article about Ed Perry, vice-chairman of the Oklahoma state committee, the phrase was used as follows: "In regard to his political views Mr. Perry has issued the following terse platform: 'I am for a square deal, grass root representation, for keeping close to the people, against ring rule and for fair treatment.'" http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1907-09-09/ed-1/seq-4/;words=grass+root "Brooklyn Boy Leader," New York Tribune, September 9, 1907, Page 4 A 1903 news article on a campaign for possible Theodore Roosevelt running mate Eli Torrance quotes a Kansas political organizer as saying: "Roosevelt and Torrance clubs will be organized in every locality. We will begin at the grass roots." http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058130/1903-09-25/ed-1/seq-6/;words=grass+roots "Boom for Gen. Torrance," Salt Lake herald, September 25, 1903, 6.
Astroturfing
Main|AstroturfingFaking a grassroots movement is known as astroturfing . Astroturfing, as the name suggests, is named after AstroTurf , a brand of artificial lawn|artificial grass . Astroturfing means pretending to be a grassroots movement, when in reality the agenda and strategy is controlled by a hidden, non-grassroots organization. In this manner, a faux show is presented, consisting of individuals pretending to be voicing their own opinions.cite news |author=Walter Truett Anderson |title=Astroturf – The Big Business of Fake Grassroots Politics |url= http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/2.01/960105-astroturf.html |date=January 5, 1996
Ekins, Paul (1992.) http://books.google.com/books? id=qwtULXLEsiUC& printsec=frontcover& dq=grassroots+movements& hl=en& ei=cVuZTtrtA-GwiQKF4ZiHAw& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q& f=false A new world order: grassroots movements for global change . Routledge. ISBN 0-415-07115-1
Fox, Jonathan A.; Brown David, L. (1998.) http://books.google.com/books? id=4tjmDICqUOYC& printsec=frontcover& dq=grassroots+movements& hl=en& ei=cVuZTtrtA-GwiQKF4ZiHAw& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=4& ved=0CEYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage& q& f=false The struggle for accountability: the World Bank, NGOs, and grassroots movements . Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ISBN 0-262-56117-4
External links
http://vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/ The Citizen's Handbookspaced ndashguides to grassroots/community organizing
Category:American political terms Category:Political organizations Category:Political movements Category:Political metaphors Category:Populism
