The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2

Summary

In this Crash Course Government episode, Craig explores the U.S. Congress, emphasizing its bicameral structure with the Senate and House of Representatives. He explains the qualifications for serving in each house, their distinct powers, and the historical Great Compromise that led to their formation. Craig also delves into the practical reasons behind the division of powers, highlighting the framers' intent to prevent legislative overreach through intrabranch checks. The episode promises further details on the legislative process in upcoming episodes.

Takeaways

• 📜 The U.S. Constitution positions Congress as the most important branch of government, with legislative powers vested in a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
• 🏛️ The House of Representatives is considered easier to understand, with members elected based on population, requiring a minimum age of 25, seven years of citizenship, and residency in the state they represent.
• 🌟 The Senate is composed of two members from each state, with senators required to be at least 30 years old, a citizen for nine years, and a resident of their state, emphasizing a more deliberative and less responsive body to immediate public opinion.
• 🔑 The House has specific powers such as impeachment of federal officials, deciding presidential elections when no candidate wins a majority of the electoral college votes, and originating all bills for raising revenue.
• 🗝️ The Senate's powers include holding impeachment trials, ratifying treaties with a 2/3 vote, and confirming appointments of executive officers and federal judges.
• 🎓 The Constitution's framers designed the Senate to be more serious and deliberative, with longer terms and a composition intended to reflect greater wisdom and experience.
• 👥 The Great Compromise, or Connecticut Compromise, resulted in an upper house with equal representation and a lower house with proportional representation, balancing the interests of large and small states.
• 🤔 The framers were concerned about the concentration of power and implemented intrabranch checks to ensure that one house could limit the power of another, promoting a system of checks and balances.
• 💼 The Senate's longer terms and the expectation of greater experience were intended to make it more immune to public desires and better suited for confirming appointments and ratifying treaties.
• 💰 The power of the purse, or the authority to originate revenue-raising bills, was given to the House of Representatives to reflect its closer connection to the people and their concerns about taxation.
• 📚 The script humorously explores the historical and practical reasons behind the structure of the U.S. Congress, highlighting the importance of the separation of powers and the role of each house in the legislative process.

Q & A

What is the significance of the U.S. Congress according to the Constitution?

The Constitution designates the U.S. Congress as the most important branch of government, with legislative powers vested in a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

What is the difference between the national government and state government mentioned in the script?

The national government refers to the federal government of the United States, while the state government refers to the individual state-level governments. The script clarifies that the importance of Congress is in the context of the national government.

What does the term 'bicameral' refer to in the context of the U.S. Congress?

The term 'bicameral' refers to a legislative body that is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, which in the U.S. Congress is the Senate and the House of Representatives.

What are the minimum qualifications required to serve in the House of Representatives?

To serve in the House of Representatives, one must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for seven years, and a resident of the state they hope to represent.

How is the number of representatives determined for each state in the House of Representatives?

The number of representatives for each state in the House is determined by population, with no state having fewer than one representative and the most populous state, California, having 52 representatives.

What is the total number of senators in the U.S. Senate?

There are 100 senators in the U.S. Senate, with each state being represented by two senators.

What was the historical change brought about by the 17th Amendment regarding the selection of senators?

The 17th Amendment changed the selection of senators from being chosen by state legislatures to being elected directly by the people of each state.

What are the specific powers granted to the House of Representatives by the Constitution?

The House of Representatives is granted the power to impeach the president and other federal officials, decide presidential elections if no candidate wins the majority of the electoral college, and all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House.

What is the significance of the 'Power of the Purse' and which house holds this power?

The 'Power of the Purse' refers to the authority to initiate legislation on raising revenue, which includes the power to levy taxes. This power is held by the House of Representatives.

What are the main powers of the Senate as outlined in the script?

The main powers of the Senate include holding impeachment trials, ratifying treaties with a 2/3rds vote, and confirming the appointment of executive officers that require Senate confirmation, such as cabinet secretaries and federal judges.

What is the historical reason for having two houses in the U.S. Congress?

The historical reason for having two houses in the U.S. Congress is the Great Compromise, which resolved disagreements between large and small states by establishing an upper house with equal representation and a lower house with proportional representation.

What is the practical reason for dividing the legislature into two houses as explained by James Madison in Federalist 51?

The practical reason for dividing the legislature into two houses is to prevent the concentration of too much power in one branch. By dividing the legislature and giving each house different modes of election and principles of action, it creates an intrabranch check where one house can limit the power of the other.

Why are Senators expected to be older than Representatives according to the script?

Senators are expected to be older than Representatives because the Framers believed that older individuals would be wiser or more experienced, leading to a more serious, deliberative body that is less influenced by the immediate desires of the public.

How does the term length of Senators and Representatives differ and why?

Senators serve six-year terms, while Representatives serve two-year terms. This difference is intended to make Senators more insulated from public opinion and more deliberative, while Representatives are more responsive to the changing opinions of their constituents due to shorter terms.

What is the rationale behind giving the power of impeachment to the House of Representatives?

The rationale behind giving the power of impeachment to the House of Representatives is that it is the more democratic branch, closest to the people, and thus more responsive to their needs and opinions. This power allows the House to decide if a federal official has committed an offense serious enough to warrant a trial.