APGovCh.14.Gerardo.Michel

Question 1

Interest Group

Answer 1

A collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy.

Sentence: An interest groups fights for changes in public policy but may not directly be involved with political parties.

Question 2

American Anti-Slavery Society

Answer 2

A major interest group, founded in 1833, to advocate for the abolition of the institution of slavery throughout the United States.

Sentence: The American Anti-Slavery Society had gained around 250,000 members by 1838.

Question 3

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Answer 3

A public interest group created in 1874 with the goal of outlawing the sale of liquor; activities include prayer groups, protest marches, lobbying, and destruction of saloons.

Sentence: One major reason the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) came into existence was because men were drinking away their paychecks.

Question 4

The Grange

Answer 4

Founded in 1867 as an educational organization for farmers. The Grange evolved into the first truly national interest group by working to protect the political and economic concerns of farming communities and rural areas.

Sentence: The Grange was involved in protecting the rights of anyone involved agriculture.

Question 5

Lobbyist

Answer 5

Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political and/or financial persuasion.

Sentence: An example of a lobbyist would be an individual lobbying for legislation benefiting a warehouse.

Question 6

Progressive Movement

Answer 6

A broad group of political and social activists from the 1890s to the 1920s who opposed corruption in government, supported regulation of monopolies, and sought improvement of socioeconomic conditions.

Sentence: The progressive movement can still be seen today with people accusing the government and politicians of corruption.

Question 7

Public Interest Group

Answer 7

An organization that seeks a collective good that if achieved will not selectively and materially benefit group members.

Sentence: A public interest group can advocate to end an industry’s total control over steel.

Question 8

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Answer 8

Founded in 1886, the AFL bought skilled workers from several trades together into one stronger national organization for the first time.

Sentence: The American Federation of Labor (AFL) helped contribute to the passing of the Clayton Act.

Question 9

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

Answer 9

An organization founded in 1895 by manufacturers to combat the growth of organized labor.

Sentence: The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) first became active politically in 1913.

Question 10

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Answer 10

A major pro-business lobbying group founded in 1912.

Sentence: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the second major business organization to operate.

Question 11

Trade Assocation

Answer 11

A group that represents a specific industry.

Sentence: Trade associations can plan campaigns and overturn key regulations impeding business growth.

Question 12

Jerry Falwell

Answer 12

A Southern Baptist minister who, in 1978, founded the conservative religious interest group: the Moral Majority.

Sentence: Jerry Falwell was likely a concerned conservative who sought to form an ideological group and counter liberal public interest groups.

Question 13

Moral Majority

Answer 13

A conservative religious interest group credited with helping mobilize conservative Evangelical Christian voters from its grounding in 1978 through the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Sentence: The Moral Majority was widely credited with assisting in the election of Ronald Reagan as President in 1980.

Question 14

Pat Robertson

Answer 14

A Southern Baptist minister and television evangelist who ran for President in 1988 and in 1989 founded the conservative religious interest group the Christian Coalition.

Sentence: Pat Robertson sought to restore the Moral Majority’s purpose after its dissolving with his own religious group.

Question 15

Christian Coalition

Answer 15

A religious interest group founded in 1989 to advance conservative Christian principles and traditional values in American politics.

Sentence: The Christian Coalition group distributes tens of millions of voter guides in evangelical churches throughout the united States.

Question 16

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Answer 16

The major gun-rights lobbying group in the United States, which opposes gun control and advances an expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Sentence: The National Rifle Association has become a controversial target on the basis of gun control laws.

Question 17

AFL-CIO

Answer 17

A large labor union founded in 1955 by the merging of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its one-time rival: the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Sentence: The AFL-CIO was created to reach a national scale and pressured the government to protect concessions won from employers.

Question 18

Social Capital

Answer 18

Cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems.

Sentence: The more social capital that exists in a community, the more that citizens will engage in governance and well-being.

Question 19

Civic Virtue

Answer 19

The tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good.

Sentence: Civic virtue can create fertile ground within communities to promote political and economic development.

Question 20

Pluralist Theory

Answer 20

The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups.

Sentence: The pluralist theory proposes that power is to be distributed across a multitude of diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

Question 21

Disturbance Theory

Answer 21

The theory that interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system.

Sentence: The disturbance theory proposes that interest groups are a reaction (and perhaps not a good one) to a governmental action.

Question 22

Transactions Theory

Answer 22

The theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors.

Sentence: The transactions theory arose out of criticisms of the pluralist approach.

Question 23

Collective Good

Answer 23

Something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment.

Sentence: If there is a collective good, there is little to no reason to join a group, as the benefits are secured by others.

Question 24

Economic Interest Group

Answer 24

A group with the primary purpose of promoting the federal interests of its members.

Sentence: One primary example of an economic interest group was the American Medical Association.

Question 25

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 25

Officially recognized fund-raising organization that represents interest groups and is allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns.

Sentence: There are elected officials that have leadership PACs to help raise money for themselves and other candidates.

Question 26

Lobbying

Answer 26

The activities of a group or organization that seek to persuade political leaders to support the group’s position.

Sentence: A wide variety of lobbying activities target members of Congress using congressional testimonies or individual letters and emails.

Question 27

Marian Wright Edelman

Answer 27

A lawyer who in 1973 founded the Children’s Defense Fund to protect the rights of children, particularly those who are members of disadvantaged groups.

Sentence: Edelman continued his father’s work as president of Liberty University using an interest group.

Question 28

Patron

Answer 28

A person who finances a group or individual activity.

Sentence: A patron can provide crucial start-up funds for groups, especially for public interest groups.

Question 29

Free Rider Problem

Answer 29

Potential members who fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort.

Sentence: The free rider problem is a phenomenon that proposes, the larger the group, the less likely people are to join because they can easily collect benefits regardless.

Question 30

Lobbying Disclosure Act

Answer 30

A 1995 federal law that employed a strict definition of lobbyist and established strict reporting requirements on the activities of lobbyists.

Sentence: The Lobbying Disclosure Act required lobbyists to (1) register with the clerk of the House and secretary of the Senate, (2) report their clients and issues, and (3) estimate the amount they are paid.

Question 31

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007

Answer 31

Lobbying reform banning gifts to members of Congress and their staffs, toughening disclosure requirements, and increasing time limits on moving from the federal government to the private sector.

Sentence: One of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007’s key provisions was a ban on gifts and honorarium worth over fifty dollars to members of Congress and their staffs.