American Government

Sections: Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4

Government : The Legislative Branch : Introduction Unit 4:  The Legislative Branch When the founders created our system of government, they designed it so that Congress would have a great amount of power. Recalling their experiences with the British king and incompetent colonial governors, many of them were not interested in having strong executives in their government. The founders were very specific about the powers that Congress had; they spelled them out in Article I of the Constitution. They also created the elastic clause to give Congress the authority to “stretch” its power when deemed “necessary and proper.” Congress is responsible for making the laws that American citizens must live by, and because of this they are the branch of government closest to the American people. We see the affects of their work very closely and since we elect representatives from our local areas, we sometimes get to meet them personally. In recent years, Congress has been split along party lines. The deep split has made it difficult for them to get things done. It is very difficult for the party with fewer members to achieve any of its goals because members of Congress tend to vote along party lines. In opinion polls, American citizens have shown a low approval rating for Congress as a whole, but a relatively high approval rating for their own representatives and senators. This is partly because they are pleased with the views of their own Congressional representatives, but unhappy with the lack of results being made in Congress overall. In this unit, we’ll explore the workings of Congress – how it is structured, their powers, the checks and balances affecting them, and how laws are made. Learning Objectives: Understand the structure of Congress and how Congressional elections work. Analyze the roles played by members of Congress and what they do as part of their job. Evaluate the ways in which Congress operates as a partisan system. Explain how a bill becomes a law and the ways that a bill can fail to pass in Congress.  Below is a list of the key terms for this unit Apportioned At-large districts Bill Commerce Power Conference Committee Constituents Enumerated Powers Filibuster Gerrymandering Impeachment Joint Committee Majority Leader Midterm election Minority Leader Oversight Partisan Pocket Veto President Pro tempore Reapportioned Select Committee Session Speaker of the House Standing Committee Term Whip Go to next section

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