Congress was established to represent the people; to serve a purpose bigger than themselves. The delegates battled with each other all for the greater good. Their responsibility was to facilitate prosperity and to set up a safe and flourishing country for their eager citizens. Similarly, their duty is to serve the constituents and their country. This is done through extensive processes of legislation and investigations of national significance. To get the job done in Congress, it may not always be pretty. Throughout the history of the law-making governmental body, there has been gun-fights, fist-fights, and verbal assaults amongst members. This branch has made decisions that have highly influenced the country varying from such acts as declaring and ending war to establishing Mother's Day. “Higher office is on the minds of many delegates. They may not see their position exclusively as a stepping-stone to a higher office, but many members are clearly ambitious”1 Nearly half of all U.S. presidents served in congress before obtaining their executive position. The everlasting Congress in the United States is composed of two houses. This system of government is called bicameral legislature. 'Bicameral' literally means dual-chambered. In the case of British Parliament it refers to the House of Lords and the House of Commons. In context with the U.S. Congress they are the Senate and the House of representatives. This model for governance resolved many of the present contracting and legislative issues. The constitutional government in 17th century England is thought to be the origin of the contemporary political set up that the United States' Congress is derived from. The United States had the task of establishing a go... ... middle of paper ... ...hist/njconstconvention.html>. Brown, W. Jethro. The Underlying Principles of Modern Legislation. London: John Murray, 1920. Print. "The Virginia Plan - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Web. 03 June 2010. . Ellis, Joseph J. Passionate Sage: the Character and Legacy of John Adams. New York: Norton, 1993. Print. Ellis, Joseph J. American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic. New York: A. A. Knopf, 2007. Print. "William Paterson." U.S. Army Center Of Military History. Web. 02 June 2010. . "Constitution Menu: Constitutional Convention Overview." James Madison University - Home. Web. 03 June 2010. .
The excerpt “Congress: The Electoral Connection” written by David Mayhew centers around the fundamental arguments that discusses how members of congress are self-interested for reelection. Mayhew further elaborates on his idea by discussing the electoral activities that congress members devote their time into and resource from, which are advertising, credit-claiming, and position taking. Mayhew’s excerpt further examines the framework in how congress operates which contributes to the explanation of how and why congress partakes in the certain electoral activities.
In the book Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, the author relates the stories of six crucial historic events that manage to capture the flavor and fervor of the revolutionary generation and its great leaders. While each chapter or story can be read separately and completely understood, they do relate to a broader common theme. One of Ellis' main purposes in writing the book was to illustrate the early stages and tribulations of the American government and its system through his use of well blended stories. The idea that a republican government of this nature was completely unprecedented is emphasized through out the book. Ellis discusses the unique problems that the revolutionary generation experienced as a result of governing under the new concept of a democracy. These problems included- the interpretation of constitutional powers, the regulation of governmental power through checks and balances, the first presidential elections, the surprising emergence of political parties, states rights vs. federal authority, and the issue of slavery in a otherwise free society. Ellis dives even deeper into the subject by exposing the readers to true insight of the major players of the founding generation. The book attempts to capture the ideals of the early revolutionary generation leaders and their conflicting political viewpoints. The personalities of Hamilton, Burr, Adams, Washington, Madison, and Jefferson are presented in great detail. Ellis exposes the reality of the internal and partisan conflict endured by each of these figures in relation to each other. Ellis emphasizes that despite these difficult hurdles, the young American nation survived its early stages because of its great collection of charismatic leaders and their ability to ...
Several delegates submitted plans for consideration that would strengthen the national government two such plans were the Virginia and the New Jersey Plan. Despite much of Virginia’s plan being accepted, if a compromise had not been reached the New Jerseys plan would have been more workable because it offered: equal representation of the states, provided operational means to congress, and was not a radical departure from the Articles of the Confederation. To begin with the unequal representation of the states in the Virginia Plan was of great concern and controversy while the New Jersey Plan retained equal representation of the states. Virginia proposed a bicameral legislature that included elections by the people and appointments by those elected.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
In the past century, people continued to express an increasingly discontent view of Congress especially true when one looks back before the Clinton Impeachment debacle As the size of the nation and the number of congressman have grown, the congress has come under attack by both public influences and congressman themselves. Yet looking at one congressman's relationship with his or her constituents, it would be hard to believe that this is the branch of government that has come under suspect. In “If Ralph Nader says congress is 'The broken branch,' how come we love our congressman so much?” author Richard F. Fenno, Jr., provides insight into this view and why, through congress coming under fire, constituents still feel positively about there congressmen. Although congress is often criticized, its fine tuned functioning is essential in checking the power of congress without hindering the making of legislation.
In conclusion, even though some of the Congress processes and its structure seem to be made to slow things down and to reduce effectiveness, they exist to, as discussed in class, protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. After all, one of the main objectives of having a government is to create a balanced society, and to reduce the chances of having social convulsion and anarchy.
...ilities of Congress is that minorities and factions exist: dissent takes place, not disagreements. Verbal brawls take place rather than actual argumentation, and that is what kills democracy. That is why things never get done.
The Constitution gives powers to Congress in order to execute its many responsibilities. These responsibilities are necessary and proper for carrying out its policies such as, imposing taxes and regulating interstate commerce. The constitution has 435 members in the House and 100 more in Senate. Congress faces issues with action problems and the solution to correcting these collective problems are at the expense of the incentive members. The Cabinet, President, state and federal courts, political groups, media, etc. all have input when determining a political decision in the United States. Open arrangement is an objective arranged strategy that the legislature follows in managing an issue or issue in the nation. Open approaches are focused around law; however numerous individuals other than officials set them. People, gatherings, and even government organizations that don 't follow strategies can be punished. This confounded procedure has been concluded with an anticipated arrangement of steps.
Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs.
Divine, Robert A. America past and Present. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Longman, 2013. 245. Print.
Brennan, Linda Crotta. The Birth of the United States. Ann Arbor: Cherry Lake, 2011. Print.
The first factor that seems to have influenced the operations of Congress is the committee system. Congress has four different types of committees. The four committees are the joint committees, conference committees, standing committees, and select committees. The standing committee has an influence on Congress because of the fact that they have jurisdiction over all the bills of a given type. Select committees, however, influence congress because since they study and investigate rather than consider legislation, congress has to take into consideration of who is making sure that they have to make careful decisions with these operations with according to what is considered “right and wrong”. The joint committee has to give a full congressional overview to a complex subject to Congress and to the public. This influence congress because again it shows Congress that they are being watched and cannot make any decisions that might seem unfair or unfit. Both houses because they were created to make sure that both the House and the Senate agree on passing a bill, or for them to produce a version that would pass the Conference committee influences co...
Our government is made up of three branches. These three branches uphold the United States Constitution and the American people rights. Our legislative branch consist of a House of Representatives and the Senate which forms the United States Congress. According to Article 1 in the Constitution, the legislative branch purpose is to enact legislation and declare war, confirm and reject any appointments made by the President and given substantial investigative powers. The legislative branch is very complex but essential to our survival as a nation. The most vital step of the legislative branch is when a bill becomes a law. The legislative branch is an important factor in our American government. Without it, the American people would not have any laws to abide by. This essay will discuss context of the two branches, differences and similarities.
The Legislative Branch of our government has a huge impact on our society. Politicians who are in Legislative positions have the power to create and pass laws. These members have a tremendous impact on how we live our lives diurnally. They are very powerful and this power often times creates egos and selfishness when it is time to be re-elected. The power and the money both cause for politicians in Congress to desire to be re-elected into office, most of the time not for their fellow voters but for themselves and their own views.
Did you know that Congress is made of two houses? The houses of Congress are the House of representatives and the senate. The House of Representatives and the Senate are different when it comes to governing. They have different functions, stature, and are organized differently.