The people's checking power

The most obvious way people can check the power of government is by voting. It is the people who elect the members of government. Members of government should respond to the needs of the people they represent. It is up to the people to let their representatives know what they need. The people must also let their representatives know if they are unhappy with them. One way of doing this is through the vote. Sometimes, people

who feel very strongly about a certain issue will join together. They will form a group.

Such groups are called "interest groups". Many people belong to interest groups. Sometimes, the people in a neighbourhood may get together because of a common complaint. They may try to put pressure on city leaders to change a city law. Putting pressure

on government leaders is called "lobbying". Interest groups and lobbying form an important part of the political process. That is,

they are not a formal part of government, but they have a strong influence on its decisions. There are also some highly organized interest groups and they can be large. They may have members from all across the country. Some of these interest groups are made up of workers. Some are called unions. An example of an interest group made up of workers is the AFLCIO (American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations). Unions like the AFLCIO lobby for laws that favor workers. Businesses also belong to interest groups. These groups want laws that favor business. Some interest groups lobby for a particular race, gender, or religion. For example, NOW is the National

Organization for Women. They work to protect women's rights.

Interest groups are one more way people can become involved in government. The free press also has power to monitor or check the actions of any of the branches. In the case of Watergate, it was in fact, the Washington Post that broke the story. Without the

Post, Nixon would have remained in office.

Characterize the main political parties in the USA (the Republicans, the Democrats history, political platform and role today).

The United States of America is largely a two-party system: the Republican and the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party