Text Assignment: Congress Chapter 10, Sections 1-3

American Government Legislative Branch

Text Assignment: Congress – Chapter 10, Sections 1-3

Section 1

1. Why did James Madison refer to Congress as the “first branch” of government?

2. Describe the historical, practical and theoretical reasons for having a bicameral legislature.  Historical

 Practical

 Theoretical

3. What does the quote from Federalist 51 found on p. 263 mean?

4. What is the difference between a term and a session of Congress?

5. Who may call Congress into special session? Under what circumstances has Congress or the individual houses of Congress been called into special session?

Section 2

6. Complete the following chart regarding the basic characteristics of the House of Representatives and its members. NOTE: The bottom portion of the chart is found in the latter portion of Section 2. Characteristic Description Size of House (apportionment) Terms of Representatives (length/limits)

Age Length of Citizenship Residence

7. Briefly describe the Reapportionment Act of 1929. What conclusions about the Act’s impact can be drawn from the map on p. 268? 8. Who is generally “hurt” in an off-year election? Why might this be so?

9. What do districts have to do with elections to the House of Representatives?

10. Who controls the creation of congressional districts? How have district boundaries been drawn in the past? What have courts said about the drawing of congressional district boundaries? (Be sure to consider gerrymandering in your answer.)

Section 3

11. As your text quotes, James Madison saw the Senate as “a necessary fence” against the “fickleness and passion” of the House of Representatives. What does this mean and how does it indicate that Madison saw the Senate as the “upper house?”

12. What is the term of office for the 100 members of the Senate? Why is the Senate called a “continuous body?”

13. What impact did the 17th Amendment have on the election of senators?

14. How is the constituency of a senator different from the constituency of a member of the House of Representatives?

15. Describe the three formal qualifications for becoming a senator.

16. Like the House, the Senate may exclude a member deemed unqualified. Under what circumstances have senators been expelled?