Legislative Power

"All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." [US Constitution Article I Section 1]

Before the Constitution was written, a very important matter was brought up. They had to decide how they were going to form a Legislature. Many compromises were considered. Most of the states wanted a unicameral which is a one house legislature. The smaller states, like Rhode Island, wanted the unicameral to consist of a Senate which would represent each state equally (2 senators per state). The larger states, like Virginia and Pennsylvania, wanted the unicameral to consist of a House of Representatives. The House of Representatives represents the people according to the states population. So you had more representation in a state that has a higher population. But someone suggested that we should create Congress, which is a bicameral (2 houses) consisting of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. That is what passed eventually and I believe that it was the best decision. Congress now leads us as our nation's legislative power.

Did you know...

There are 435 members in the House of Representatives?

There are 100 members in the Senate?