Chapter Ten – Congress

Section One: The National Legislature (p 262-265)

Our Congress is ______, which means that it is made up of two houses or chambers. (p 262) This structure was selected for three reasons:

1. ______

The British ______had consisted of two houses since the 1300’s (p 262)

Of the states, all but ______and ______had two houses in their legislatures by 1787

(p 263)

Today, only ______has a single house legislature (p263)

2. ______

A two-chambered body settled a conflict between ______and ______(p 263)

The ______wanted to distributes seats in Congress in proportion to the population (p 263)

Smaller states demanded an ______voice in Congress (p 263)

3. ______

The Framers knew that one house might act as a ______on the other (p 263)

Each term in Congress will last for ______years. (p 264)

Originally, each new term began on ______, though that date was changed to ______by the ______Amendment in ______. (p 264)

Each term is broken into ______sessions. (p 264)

While Congress may remain in session for most of the year, each house will ______for several short periods during a session. (p 265)

Neither house may ______without the consent of the other. (p 265)

The President may call Congress into ______session to deal with emergencies. (p 265)

This last happened in ______, when President ______called one to deal with the aftermath of WWII. (p 265)

Chapter Ten – Congress

Section Two: The House of Representatives (p 267-273)

The House of Representatives has ______members, though that number is not fixed by the ______. (p 267)

The size of the House increased with every ______until ______. (p 268)

From that point forward, the number of seats has remained the same, but they have been ______among the states to maintain a rough equality. (p 268)

The Reapportionment Act of ______created what is often called an “______.” (p 268)

Following each census, the ______determines the number of seats each state should have. Congress may reject the plan within ______days, but failure to do so allows the plan to take effect. (p 268)

Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution gives ______the authority to determine the times, places, and manners of holding Congressional Elections. (p 269)

Congressional elections are held on the ______following the first ______in ______. (p 269)

Intra-term vacancies in the House may only be filled by ______called by the ______.

(p 269)

The party in power tends to ______seats in off-year elections. (p 269)

In 1842, Congress made each state ______responsible for drawing any congressional districts in its state. (p 270)

Each district must satisfy three basic requirements: (p 270)

  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

Gerrymandering can take two forms: (p 271)

  1. ______
  2. ______

Several important Supreme Court Decisions affected redistricting. (p 271-272)

______v. ______- Made equal representation for equal numbers of people the fundamental goal of the House of Representatives

______v. ______- Gerrymandering solely on race violates the ______Amendment

Qualifications for House Members (p 272-273)
Formal Qualifications / Informal Qualifications
1.
2.
3.

Chapter Ten – Congress

Section Three: The Senate (p 275-278)

Major Differences Between the House and Senate (p 272)
Characteristic / House of Representatives / Senate
Number of Members
Length of Term
Size of Constituency
Average Age
Amount of Prestige
Visibility to the Media
Rigidity of Rules
Where Work is Done
Exclusive Powers

How did James Madison and Woodrow Wilson view the relationship of the Senate to the House? (p 275)

______

Prior to the ratification of the ______Amendment in ______, Senators were not elected, but appointed by the ______. (p 276)

Intra-term vacancies in the Senate may be filled in one of two ways: (p 276)

  1. ______
  2. ______

Only ______of Senators stand for election in a given year. (p 277)

Because they represent larger ______, Senators are supposed to be less concerned with the interests of a specific locality and more focused on the ______of national interest. (p 277)

Chapter Ten – Congress

Section Four: The Members of Congress (p 279-284)

The Roles of a Congressman (p 280-282)
Title / Description
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

______has the power under the Constitution to determine Congressional compensation. (p 282)

There are only two limits on this power. (p 283)

  1. ______
  2. ______

Due to the ______Amendment, any change in Congressional salary goes into effect only after the next ______. (p 282)

Congressional Compensation (p 282-284)
Salary / Nonsalary Compensation / Membership Privileges