Assignment: Interest groups in America
Instruction
1-Read the chapter on interest groups and the Barr Foundation article found in the module. To what extent do interest groups control politics in the United States? What are the consequences of this? Are new laws and regulations concerning interest groups needed? 2-The nation faces all sorts of serious problems, from growing inequality to spreading international terrorism, but the bitter fight between Democrats and Republicans has largely ground government to a halt. Democrats and Republicans are in a death match and the American people are caught in the middle. Do you believe the two-party system is destroying America? What changes would you recommend to insure equality and progress? Please explain your answers. 3-Read the material on the websites below. What do these two cases have in common? Brown verse Board of Education was a Supreme Court decision made early in the Civil Rights Movement. Why is the Civil Rights Movement considered one of the most important social movements of the 20th century? Plessy verse Ferguson https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson (Links to an external site.) https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/163us537 (Links to an external site.) Brown verse Board of Education https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka (Links to an external site.).
Assignment
Name
Institution Affiliation
Part 1: Interest groups in America
In the recent past, interest groups have been becoming one of the greatest threats in United States of America. This is mainly because they have been influencing policies as their primary goals and monitoring government activities. In this they serve as a means of administrative input for followers and have been providing data to the public and legislators. For instance, there was a civil group which kept tract of the projected voter documentation bills in state governments and had effect on voting rights (Rhode, 2018). They contacted law makers with an aim of voicing agreement or dissatisfaction of projected legislation and encouraged cluster members to take act by offering monetary donations among other favors.
They controlled American politics through facilitating political participation in different ways where they even became active to an extent of functioning on behalf of organizations to endorse their agendas. However, their interests increased membership and the members were aware of the issues the groups were resolving. They engaged the community in activities like rallies where they took advantage of this and mobilized members to join and send the message to their communities (Pirie, 2015). Due to this, the interests groups were able to have massive followers who strengthened their movements and they used them to carry out their plans thus posing even stronger threats to the American politics.
As they progressed, the major consequence was that they influenced policies and led to consideration and amendment of some laws and regulations regarding American politics which affected some politicians like when they lobbied the government. It is at this point William Barr stepped in with strategic moves to be undertaken to stop the struggle against congressional oversight (Pirie, 2015). First, he wished that some power could be transferred from the president to some courts to protect its original intent which was to create a stronger president with concentrated power and a large advisory congress. Therefore, from the arguments, the new laws and regulations concerning the interest groups were needed so that they could limit their influence to the people and restore the political stability of the United States of America.
Part 2: Two Party Systems in America
The two party systems in American had impacts which changed the country’s administration and exposed it to threats like international terrorism and fights between the democrats and the republicans among others. In my view, the two party system is destroying America because its bringing divisions among the people especially during elections. In most cases, the parties begin with electing their representatives who becomes the leaders and directs the people on which direction to follow and at what time (Pirie, 2015). In such cases, the people lack a chance of getting personal relationships with their leaders and the government where they are even limited to run some offices. I would therefore recommend that there can be rules and regulations where the two party systems can be given to make sure that there is full public participation in their parties and have forums that their followers can interact freely with people from the other parties and with their representatives and the elected leaders who represent them in government.
From the provided materials, Plessy verse Ferguson and Brown verse board of education is similar in the ways they provided extensive support to aid education. In the same cases, they were fighting for the lawful segregation which ended up to unequal education and lowered their self-confidence among the marginal students (Max, 2018). In these they had family lawyers who drove the law that inferred that African American were fundamentally lesser to the whites which was not the case.
Additionally, the civil rights movement which emerged in the 20th century was considered the important because it was the largest movement in the United States and worked to influence the modern women’s rights association and the students movement which were had very crucial people in the society who were in different areas like education, social segregation, discrimination areas and also were considered in the voting rights.
References
Max K. (2018). An American Institution: The two-party system and its effects on our Democracy. News Times. https://www.yorknewstimes.com/editorial/an-american-institution-the-two-party-system-and-its-effects/article_715d234c-d70f-11e8-9193-9baf1db77020.html
Pirie M. (2015). The Impact of Interest Groups on Public Policy. https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/thinkpieces/the-impact-of-interest-groups-on-public-policy-2
Rohde D. (2018). The Dangerous position of William Barr. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-dangerous-position-of-william-barr