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African American Interest Groups

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Democracy is the system of government where an entire population is represented through elected representatives. But there is a significant aspect in the US government that also acts as elected representatives which are in the form of interest groups. Interest groups are essentially a collection of people of organizations that tries to influence public policies. Just like the media and political parties, interest groups are one of the linkage institutions, linking the people to the government. The main role of interest groups in accordance to the government, is to mobilize the people. Ideally, an interest groups’ main goal is to ensure that a wide range of people and opinions are expressed in the democratic process. The significance of the …show more content…

An example Riddlesperger uses was the NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Their first objective was desegregation. The NAACP found the perfect case to challenge segregation in the form of an African American girl in Topeka who was forced to attend a segregated school instead of the neighborhood school she preferred. The NAACP along with Oliver Brown appealed to the Supreme Court in what would result into the Brown v. Board of Education case. Chief Justice Earl Warren along with the other justices unanimously struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine and called for desegregation in all public schools across America (Source 1). This is one example of an interest group that represented the minority group and protected the rights of all citizens in America. This is also an example of one type of interest group that is public interest group, where they seek the collective good. They don’t seek to benefit only themselves, but the collective good. To understand the significance of this particular example, one must look at the context of the time period. It was around the mid-1900s and all across the United States, there was segregation. …show more content…

Although many interest groups influence mainly Congress because of the amount of power Congress has in policy-making, interest groups can also influence other branches of government which extends the voices heard to other places in the government. In the Executive branch, the strategies that help groups form connections in Congress are less effective here. However, interest groups can still be significant in influencing the Executive branch. Although the President is not subjected to the “narrow, particularistic lobbying” in Congress, the President does seek support from interest groups to get reelected. Because of the group’s ability to mobilize the people, it can help get a President reelected and enact their policies (Source 6). Through that influence, the President can be influenced by these groups that support the President and therefore can influence the policies the President proposes like Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Also, interest groups can influence the Judiciary branch, but they must take a different approach. Lobbyists aren’t allowed to communicate directly with Supreme Court justices, so they instead resort to test cases and amicus curiae briefs in order to influence the Court’s opinion (Source 6). For example, the ACLU, or the American Civil Liberties Union. This interest group uses the courts to protect a citizen’s civil liberties and ensure the promise of the Bill of Rights. The

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