Chapter 7 of 25
Building Congress
The delegates put Congress first, in Article I, because they saw it as the branch closest to the people. The part of the federal government that writes lawsQ18 is the legislative branch, also called Congress. Among its weightiest powers are taxing and spending. One power of CongressQ20 is that it declares war. Congress has formally declared war only 11 times, the last during World War II.
Designing Congress nearly broke the convention apart. Large states such as Virginia wanted representation based on population. Small states such as Delaware feared being swallowed and wanted every state to count equally. The answer, called the Great Compromise, was to create two chambers. The two parts of the U.S. CongressQ19 are the Senate and House (of Representatives).
In the Senate, every state is equal. The number of senators each state hasQ27 is two, no matter its size. Wyoming, with under 600,000 people, has the same two senators as California, with about 39 million. Giving each state two senatorsQ28 ensures equal representation for small states. Today, with 50 states, the total number of U.S. senatorsQ21 is 100.
Senators were meant to be steady, so they got long terms. The term for a U.S. senatorQ22 is six years. A U.S. senator representsQ31 all the citizens of their state.
In the House, power follows population. Some states have more representatives than othersQ35 because some states have more people. The Constitution ordered a national count every ten years, and the first census came in 1790. Seats are re-divided after each one. After the 2020 census, California has 52 representatives, the most of any state.
The House began with 65 members and grew with the country. Since the early 1900s, the number of voting members in the House of RepresentativesQ24 has been 435. A member of the House of Representatives representsQ33 the citizens in their district. Members of the House of Representatives are elected byQ34 citizens from their district.
House members face voters far more often. A term for a member of the House of RepresentativesQ25 is two years. U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senatorsQ26 to more closely follow public opinion: if voters are unhappy, they can replace their representative quickly.