Where did the term "grassroots" come from and what does it mean?

Answer 1

A grassroots organization is one comprised of ordinary citizens, individuals who take action together for a common cause. It refers to the base of the population, the roots, as opposed to large companies or political action committees or the like.

Per Wikipedia: A grassroots political movement is one driven by the constituents of a community. The term implies that the genesis of the described political movement is natural yet spontaneous and imposes a dichotomy between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures.

Answer 2

DITTO