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. .
Brennan, Linda Crotta. The Birth of the United States. Ann Arbor: Cherry Lake, 2011. Print.
2.Morgan, Edmund S. The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
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 ...
For five years after Revolutionary war each state basically governed themselves. Although there was national government in place, it held little power over the states. It soon became apparent that the Articles of Confederation needed to be readdressed to combat the increasing problems that were brewing in the country. The first attempt to redress was dismissed by many of the states. Nevertheless, a second attempt produced results with twelve of the states sending delegates to redress the Articles of Confederation. 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.
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.
America was born and survived, its rough road into a nation, through a series of events, or moments in history. The founding brother’s book is about a few important figures during and after the American Revolution. These important figures consisted of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. Each of these men, contributed to the building of America in one way or another. The book breaks these contributions into a few short stories, to help understand what these important figures did.
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.
"The United States Constitution - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Web. 09 Aug. 2010. .
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.
Congress is split into two large bicameral legislatures, the house of representatives and the senate. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers which shows how they have too much power because even though they are split into two separate entities, they can share and overtake other parts of the government and basically do whatever they want from making laws to declaring war.
The House and Senate are somewhat different in terms of size, structure and procedure. However, despite their differences, collectively the Congress did make up the “dominant” class of the three branches of government for the 150 years of American government. ...
Spaeth, Harold J. and Edward Conrad Smith. The Constitution of the United States, 13th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991 (paper). ISBN 0064671054.
According to a Gallup poll, only 13 percent of Americans approve of Congress compare that to 41 percent approval for President Obama and 46 percent for the Supreme Court, and it 's easy to see Congress is the least popular branch of government. Americans ' views of most members of Congress have always been more negative than their views of their own member. Even though, solving the big societal problems such as, immigration, government spending, inequality, global warming has suffered, we have Medicare and social security, two of the largest congressional programs that are still running. It has cut the rate of poverty among elderly Americans by more than half and provided seniors with perhaps the most generous health benefits across the
AShmoop Editorial Team. "Constitution FAQ." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
American politics is often defined by a continuing power conflict between the executive and the legislative branches of the government. This struggle for political power between the two stronger branches of the three is inherent in the Constitution, itself. The concepts of separation of powers and checks and balances ensure that the branches of government will remain in conflict and provide a balance that keeps the entire government under control. As it was first established, the executive branch was much smaller and weaker than as we know it today. Consequently, the legislative branch was unquestionably dominant. Over the course of history, the executive branch grew in both size and power to the point where it occasionally overtook the legislative and today rivals the legislative in a much closer political battle. Today both branches have major factors that contribute to their power, but on the whole the legislative remains the lastingly dominant branch.