1. Why have interest groups?
• One person = One vote
• Lots of people = Lots of
Votes
• Interest group- a
group of people
who share a
common point of
view

2. What do interest groups do?
• They work together to
influence public
opinion (what other
people think)
• They try to persuade
others to think like
them

3. Who makes up an interest group?
• Group of people who
pull their resources to
try to influence
government
– Time
– Money
– Skills
• Hire a person called a
LOBBYIST to go to
D.C. and talk to
Congress people

4. Job of an Interest Group
• Form a Political Action
Committees (PACs) to
collect money from
members of their groups
to get people elected
• They go to court- suing
on behalf of their
members
• They lobby- try to
influence lawmakers to
support their beliefs
• Provide data and
research to government
officials to support their
cause

5. National Organization of Women
• Equal pay for women-women
earn 77 cents to a
man’s dollar
• Legislation for breast
cancer
• Pro Choice
• Other women’s issues
• Title IX- equal opportunity
in sports and in education
• The National Organization for Women (NOW) web site

6. National Right to Life Committee
• No abortion
• No corporal
punishment or death
penalty
• No
euthanasia-”pulling
the plug”

7. National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
• Equal rights for blacks
• Eliminate racial
profiling
• Burying of N word
• Brown v. Board of
Education
• Jena 6
• http://
www.naacp.org/home/index.htm

8. American Civil Liberties Union
• Protection of a person’s rights
• Freedom of speech
• Texas v. Johnson
• Against racial profiling
• American Civil Liberties Union - Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Disability Raci

9. National Rifle Association
• Believe in protecting a
person’s 2nd
amendment right to
own a weapon
• No waiting periods for
handguns
• Need weapons to
protect a person from
the government

10. Green Peace
• Protection of the
environment
• No offshore drilling
• No Alaskan pipeline
• http://
www.greenpeace.org/usa
/

11. Chamber of Commerce
• Growth of business
and small businesses
• Watch zoning of city
– Residential
– Commercial
• Look to decrease
corporate income tax
(tax on a company)
•

12. National Educators Association
• Support of teachers
• Provide insurance if
sued
• Against No Child Left
Behind and
mandatory end of
grade testing
• Encourage
professional
development and
further education of
teachers

13. American Federation of Labor
• A labor union
• Pro worker
• Raise minimum wage
• Limit immigration-compete
with American
workers
• Like tariffs- tax on
imported goods because
people are more likely to
buy American
• http://www.aflcio.org/