This paper examines political socialization in the United States from the 1930s to the present, focusing on how family, schools, media, and socioeconomic networks shape youth political participation and democratic engagement. The study combines a systematic literature synthesis with original quantitative analysis of American National Election Studies (ANES) survey data from the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Time Series studies. Multivariate logistic and ordinary least squares regression models indicate that formal civic education is associated with higher odds of reported voting intention, that frequent parental political discussion during adolescence is associated with higher odds of high political interest, and that educational attainment is positively associated with political knowledge. These findings are situated within the broader literature on intergenerational transmission of political attitudes, generational shifts from duty-based to expressive civic participation, and persistent socioeconomic stratification in civic voice. The paper argues that changes in the composition and quality of socializing agents have produced both continuity in the transmission of political orientations and discontinuity in the forms and distribution of political engagement, with implications for the future of democratic participation in the United States.