ABSTRACT
Interest groups have been a part of US life since the beginning of the Republic. Before and after James Madison's time, groups flourished in the United States and were active in trying to influence the US government. The word "lobbyist" was coined in the late 1820s and was commonplace in Washington by the 1830s. Lobbying and interest groups were an ever-present fact of national political life in the United States. Interest groups were also captives of the closed system. Mark-up sessions, the key meetings for making policy in Congress that uniformly had been closed to all but members and a handful of privileged staff in the Congress, were opened to public, press, and interest group representatives. Outside groups, national issues, and presidential-congressional relationships all contributed significantly to creating changes in the structure and nature of interest group lobbying in Washington. Interest groups witnessed an expanded and important outlet for their pressure activity.
