American civic engagement has cycled between collapse and renewal, not declined steadily.

Evidence

It is emphatically not my view that community bonds in America have weakened steadily throughout our history—or even throughout the last hundred years. On the contrary, American history carefully examined is a story of ups and downs in civic engagement, not just downs—a story of collapse and of renewal. As I have already hinted in the opening pages of this book, within living memory the bonds of community in America were becoming stronger, not weaker, and as I shall argue in the concluding pages, it is within our power to reverse the decline of the last several decades. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 60

Categorization

• XREF: Challenges the doom-frame of declension narratives; connects to the reader’s interest in how solidarity is regenerated through positive projects rather than inevitable decay. — connects to: American civic engagement rose for two-thirds of the century then sharply reversed. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 68

Broader Connections

• American civic engagement rose for two-thirds of the century then sharply reversed. #expands (0.85) — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 68