Hist 350 Essay Sample

Theda Skocpol, “How the United States Became a Civic Nation” in Diminished Democracy: From Membership to Management in American Civic Life (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003), 20-73.
America has come a long way as far as Civic Creativity is concerned. Despite this fact very little is known about how this country evolved into a nation of civic joiners and organizers. The main reason for America’s reliance on Civic associations was mainly due to the lack of a proper central authority and the widespread division. The other reason may be due to the reliance on religion to guide the public moral authority of the country. Unlike the modern age, American civic life in the pas consisted of self-containment and cohesiveness. People came together as family units, neighborhoods and active voluntary groups to achieve a sense of belonging and connectedness. Through these groups they were able to discuss social and human problems while attempting to come up with solutions.
Analysts of the earlier eras believed that America’s voluntarism was connected to the building of national democracy in the early years. During the period of colonization of America, most of these civic associations were tied to the local church congregations. By 1800s, more civil organizations were being formed organizing themselves along the lines of “the Federal political system, with local units loosely linked together in state branches and these in turn sending representatives to a national body”
It is evident that well organized and properly functioning civil society developed from the beginning of the United States National life. In the period between Revolution and the Civil War, several voluntary civic groups were formed to link locals together. The increase in the number of these groups was witnessed mainly during America’s struggle for independence from the British. Most civil voluntarism occurred firstly in the northeastern United States before it could spread to other parts of the new nation connecting people from different backgrounds. In the beginning there were very rare associations for women only but with time more female groups started to appear mainly in towns.
The reason why civic voluntarism flourished more during this period is due to several factors. These groups were formed almost during a similar period and they became linked in Trans local, representatively governed, federated organizations. The main reason for their flourishing was due to the effects of the U.S. governmental institutions, and the political and religious competition they brought about. This growth was also fostered by the American break from the British control thus leading to growth of a democratic civil society. This victory brought the country together into nationhood thus bringing Americans into contact with one another. Elections were carried out for state and national offices and political parties competed against each other looking for support from the general public.