Structure of U.S. Congress
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The U.S. Congress has a bicameral structure . This means it is a two (2) house legislature. Under our first U.S. Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, the Confederation Congress was unicameral — a one (1) house legislature.
James Madison, in Federalist #51 , explains how to prevent the U.S. Congress from becoming too powerful. He said to divide it into two (2) chambers (U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate) and each chamber would check the other. This would be a way to defuse power within the national legislature.
He also believed that each chamber should be “rendered different modes of elections” — that there should be direct election of representatives in the House and the state legislature should choose the U.S. Senators. Finally, the House and Senate should be given “different principals of action” — different responsibilities. Madison in Federalist#51 states that the House and Senate should be “as little connected with each other as to the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on society will admit.” This would effectively reduce the power of the national legislature visa via the executive and judicial branches of government. What are the Federalist Papers?
Representation in the U.S. Congress
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the delegates to the Convention had to decide how many representatives from each state would take a seat in the House and Senate. They reached a compromise, known as the Great Compromise authored by Roger Sherman from Connecticut. The Congress would be bicameral in structure and the House would have “proportional representation” and the Senate “equal representation.”
Wait a minute! What does
“Proportional Representation” and
“Equal Representation” mean?
To learn more about the Great Compromise, go to: The Great Compromise.
How does the Census work and
why is it so important for
my state?
Location of U.S. Capitol
Why choose Washington, D.C. for the location of the U.S. Capitol?
Washington, D.C. was a compromise location for the U.S. Capitol. The southern states had all paid their share of the revolutionary war debt, but some of the northern states had not done so. Thomas Jefferson brokered an agreement that in return for the federal government absorbing the northern states’ debt through increased taxes, the U.S. Capitol would be placed within a Federal District located in the south.
When planning a visit to Washington, D.C., you may wish to learn more about the new Visitors Center at the U.S. Capitol (opened Fall 2008). You can go to U.S. Capitol Visitors Center .
Composition and Qualifications of U.S. House of Representatives
(See: ARTICLE I, SECTION 2 of the U.S. Constitution)
WHO ELECTS MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES?
The U.S. House of Representatives is elected directly by the people. The people who live in a Congressional District vote for a representative (Congressman/woman) every two years. The framers of our U.S. Constitution wanted the people to choose their representatives (as they had during colonial times and under the Articles of Confederation (our first U.S. Constitution (1781-1788). This was the basis for a representative democracy. The people are the source of power in a republic and their representatives are accountable on Election Day.
HOW LONG DO THEY SERVE?
The Congressman/woman stands for re-election every two (2) years because James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wanted to keep members close to the people, always concerned with re-election, and the people’s needs. They wanted to make them dependent on the people for re-election. This was the way to maintain the public trust ( Federalist #57 , 385). “Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself are the cords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people” ( Federalist #57 , 385).
WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DOES IT TAKE TO RUN FOR A SEAT IN THE HOUSE?
To run for a seat in the House you need not hold a Ph.D., be a lawyer, or even a high school graduate. There are simply three (3) constitutional qualifications you must meet:
Age : 25 years old
Citizenship : 7 years
Residency: When elected, be an “Inhabitant of the state.”
What does be an “inhabitant”
of the state mean?
What is there is a vacancy in the
U.S. House of Representatives?
Composition and Qualifications of U.S. Senators
(See: ARTICLE I, SECTION 3 , U.S. Constitution)
WHO ELECTS U.S. SENATORS?
Today the people directly elect their U.S. Senators. Prior to the ratification (approval) of the 17th Amendment in 1913 , state legislatures chose two individuals to represent their states as U.S. Senators. The framers of our present day U.S. Constitution wanted to give states an interest in making sure our newly established government would be a success. Thus, let the states select the U.S. Senators!
To learn more about state legislatures choice of U.S. Senators prior to 1913, go to:
Senate — and Click on “Art & History” .
HOW LONG DO THEY SERVE?
U.S. Senators serve six- year terms and there are no term limits . The framers wanted the U.S. Senators to be less subject to pressure of public opinion and pleas of special interests.
To learn more about why the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 chose a six year term for U.S. Senators, go to:
Six-year Senate Terms
WHAT CONSTITUTIONAL QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO RUN FOR A U.S. SENATE SEAT?
Age: 30 years old
U.S. Citizen : 9 years
Residency: when elected be an “inhabitant of the state”
