Citizen Action Records

Accession Number: 
UR001636
Extent: 
11 linear feet (11 SB)

Citizen Action (CA) was founded in 1979 by former members of Students for a Democratic Society and the Indochina Peace Campaign as a coalition of state and national liberal consumer and activist groups. It organized door-to-door canvassers to work on the state level promoting CA membership and educating the public on issues such as health care, energy, environmental concerns, and auto insurance. Citizen Action was also active in election campaigns on the local, state and national level to recruit and support candidates who espoused the same ideas on various issues. Citizen Action affiliates, such as Ohio Citizen Action and Connecticut Citizen Action Group, played a key role in get-out-the-vote campaigns and issue-specific canvassing and lobbying, especially regarding health care. On the national level, Citizen Action lobbied Congress and the federal government, often testifying before committees, working to introduce bills and interacting with federal departments and commissions. Citizen Action was shut down in 1997 after a scandal emerged involving illegal funds from the Teamsters.

The records in this collection are primarily from the national office of Citizen Action, though there are documents dealing with issues and activities in specific states. Also among these records are documents from affiliate organizations: Citizens/Labor Energy Coalition (C/LEC) and Energy Action.

Date: 
1979-1993, bulk 1980s
Attachment(click to download)
UR001636.pdfUR001636_guide.pdf115.3 KB