After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• 13.1 Define lobbying and its role in the political process.
• 13.2 Summarize the historical development of organized lobbying in the United States.
• 13.3 Explain why contemporary interest groups have proliferated.
• 13.4 Distinguish between different types of interest group activities.
• 13.5 Debate the role of interest groups in American politics.