Parties and interest groups play a vital role in the functioning of
our government. Yet, neither political parties nor interest groups
were explicitly established at the founding of our government. The
writers of the Constitution feared that these groups would create
undue conflict and gridlock. Nevertheless, many of these same writers
of the Constitution created political parties a decade after the
founding of the republic. Moreover, while many Americans express the
same fears as those expressed by the founders, they also identify
themselves as either a Democrat or Republican and belong to at least
one organized interest group. In this course we will learn about why
parties and interest groups matter while also examining the origin of
the tension that characterizes Americans’ relationship to parties and
interest groups. We will examine the nature of parties and interest
groups, why and how they developed, how much influence they have, and
the roots of that influence.