144 PART Two • The PolITIcs of AmeRIcAn DemocRAcy
Political Party
A group of political
activists who organize
to win elections, operate
the government, and
determine public policy.
Lobbyist
An organization
or individual who
attempts to influence
the passage, defeat, or
content of legislation
and the government’s
administrative decisions.executive and legislative branches fail,
interest groups can turn to the courts,
filing suits in state or federal courts to
achieve their political objectives.
The large number of “pressure
points” in American government helps
to explain why there are so many—more
than one hundred thousand—interest
groups at work in our society. Another
reason for the multitude of interest
groups is that the right to join a group
is protected by the First Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution (see Chapter 4).
Not only are all people guaranteed the
right “peaceably to assemble,” but
they are also guaranteed the right “to
petition the Government for a redress
of grievances.” This constitutional pro-
vision encourages Americans to form
groups and to express their opinions to the government or to their elected representatives
as group members.
Another way to influence policymaking is to become an active member of a politi-
cal party and participate in the selection of political candidates, who, if elected, will hold
government positions. A political party might be formally defined as a group of political
activists who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public
policy. This definition explains the difference between an interest group and a political
party. Interest groups do not want to operate the government, and they do not put forth
political candidates—even though they support candidates who will promote their inter-
ests if elected or reelected.
In this chapter, we define interest groups, describe how they try to affect the govern-
ment, and summarize the legal restrictions on lobbyists, people or groups who try to
affect legislation and government administrative decisions. We also describe the major
political parties, their history, and their organization. Finally, we explain why the two-party
system has prevailed in the United States.A nATIon of JoIneRs
Alexis de Tocqueville observed in the early 1830s that “in no country of the world has
the principle of association been more successfully used or applied to a greater multi-
tude of objectives than in America.”^1 The French traveler was amazed at the degree to
which Americans formed groups to solve civic problems, establish social relationships,
and speak for their economic or political interests. Perhaps James Madison, when he
wrote Federalist Paper No. 10 (see Appendix C), had already judged the character of
his country’s citizens similarly. He supported the creation of a large republic with many
states to encourage the formation of multiple interests. The multitude of interests, in- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. 1 [1835], ed. Phillips Bradley (New York: Knopf,
1980), p. 191.
These women are leaders of a new lobbying firm called Chamber Hill
Strategies. Do lobbyists spend their time supporting political candidates? Why or
why not? (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images)LO1: Describe the basic
characteristics of interest groups,
and explain why Americans join
them.
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