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POL 110: United States Government
November 29, 2012
Under Article I, Section I of the Bill of Rights, the Framers created a Congress, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, that has the authority to make legislative decisions for our United States government. Congress has the power to make laws , declare war , raise and provide public money and oversee its proper expenditure, impeach and try federal officers, approve presidential appointments, approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch, and oversight and investigations ("About congress," ). Once people realized that they need to work together collectively to convince senators or representatives to support certain causes or to pass laws, they joined together to create interest groups. Interest groups originated in the 1770s prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The first interest group were supporters of American independence and the Framers. During the 1800s a few religious and antislavery interest groups were generated because citizens grew tired of the inhumane treatment of slaves and wanted to participate in the fight for religious freedom. There are various types of interest groups such as professional organizations such as the Farmers Union, National Association of Manufacturers, American Medical Association and the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations. Pharmaceutical companies have created interest groups to influence Congress to help them regulate prescription drug prices. There are public interest groups such as Greenpeace who focus on making the world a better place. There are popular single-issue interest groups that concentrate on one primary issue such for example the National Rifle Association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Finally there are ideological groups often work to change cultural norms, values, and prevailing stereotypes. Examples of ideological