NOTES
Lobbying
● Definition: trying to influence the laws passed by the Congress
● Roles
○ Understand how the government works
○ Know which government departments to contact
○ Have plenty of information
● Interest groups: organized groups of people who share a set of goals, and try to influence
the government to make laws that support these goals
○ Bring issues and concerns to the attention of the public and lawmakers
○ Try to get Congress to pass laws that benefit them
○ Support candidates that benefit their interests
○ Examples:
■ NRA
● Gun rights
■ AARP
● Represents the elderly
■ AFB
● Farming
■ NAACP
● African Americans
Civil Liberties and Rights
● The Bill of Rights: first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments
were introduced to protect individual liberties and limit the government’s power over
citizens.
○ Freedom of speech
○ Freedom of religion
○ Freedom of press
○ Right to peaceful assembly
○ Right to petition the government
○ Protections against unreasonable searches and seizures
○ Right to a fair trial
○ Prohibit cruel and unusual punishment
● Civil Rights: protection against discrimination, ensuring equal treatment under the law.
This prevents discrimination based on race, gender, disability, or religion
○ These rights are important for maintaining a just society, as they empower
individuals to participate fully in the political, economic, and social spheres. The
civil rights movement in the 50s and 60s sought to end racial segregation and
discrimination against African Americans
○ The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed
because of the civil rights movement
