The Legislative Branch
The Capitol Building
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Three Constitutional Principles
• Separation of Powers
– Congress has powers given to it by the
Constitution that are separate from the other
branches of government
• Checks and Balances
– Congress also has the power to check the
actions of the other two branches of govern.
• Limited Government
– Congress can exercise only those powers
given to it by the Constitution
Bicameral Legislature
• Two houses
• Senate
• House of Representatives
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National Legislature


Representative
government:
 System of
Congress in the Constitution:
government in which
Article I, Section I
a small group of
persons are chosen
by the people to act
as their
representatives
 Expresses public will
Function is to make laws

Public Will

The wants and needs of
the public.
“Public sentiment [will]
is everything. With
public sentiment
nothing can fail; without
it, nothing can
succeed.”
Abraham Lincoln 1858
Public Policy
 All
of the goals a
government sets.
 All the things the
government
decides to do.
Why does Congress have two Houses?

In order to give fair representation to both
large and small states

Connecticut Compromise
 Virginia
Plan: pro large states
 NJ Plan: pro small states
Reasons for Bicameralism

Historical Reasons


British Parliament had 2 houses
Most of the 13 colonies had two houses


PA and GA had unicameral
Practical Reasons



Settle the conflict between small and large states
at the Philadelphia Convention
Each state is equally represented: Senate
Larger states get larger representation: House of
Representatives
Theoretical Reasons
 Two
houses so one might act as a
check on the other
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Definitions
• Term length of time served after election
– How long does it last? Two years, starts Jan 3rd of every
odd numbered year
– How many sessions in a term? Two, one per year
• Session meeting
– Who adjourns each session? Congress - both houses
• Adjourn end a session with consent of both houses
• Special session meeting called by the President
– Why would a President call Congress into a special session?
Deal with a pressing issue
– Why has the President’s power to call a special session lost
much of its importance? Congress meets year round
Definitions

Term



Session



How long does it last?
How many sessions in a term?
Who adjourns each session?
Adjourn
Special session


Why would a President call Congress into a special
session?
Why has the President’s power to call a special
session lost much of its importance?
Review
1. Why is Congress the most basic
governmental function of our democratic
system?
a. Because Congress makes the nation’s laws
b. Because many Presidents first were Senators or
Representatives
c. Because Congress spends the people’s money
2. Theoretically, the Framers of the
Constitution favored bicameralism
because
a. The houses might act as a check and balance
on each other
b. Two houses could block the acts of one
President
c. One house would spend more money that
two
3. Which of the following is the main reason
that the President rarely had to call
Congress into a special session?
a. The President controls the Congress and does
not need special sessions
b. Congress now meets nearly year-round anyway
c. Congress made it clear that it was tired of
special sessions
True or False
4. Bicameralism was the invention of the
Constitutional Convention of 1787.
5. A Term is the length of time between
elections in Congress.
6. The President may not call the
Congress into session.
The End
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