“a power that no good man would want and no bad man should have.” what do you think he meant?

AP Gov

Study Guide: The National Legislature

Lesson 4.1 Overview

Materials: Magruders chapter 4, various case studies

Key Terms

delegates

trustees

partisans

politicos

bills

floor consideration

oversight function

Luther Patrick

Nancy Pelosi

term

session

convenes

adjourns

recess

prorogue

special session

Harry Truman

franking privilege

Academic Vocabulary

peculiar: unique, special, particular

appropriate: provide funds for a public purpose

agenda: list of things to be done

fringe benefits: compensation in addition to a base salary

offset: to balance, counteract, or compensate for

Lesson Objectives

1.Explain why the Constitution provides for the bicameral structure of Congress.

2.Explain the difference between a term and a session of Congress.

3.Describe a situation in which the President may convene or end a session of Congress.

4. Identify the personal and political backgrounds of members of Congress.

5.Describe the duties performed by those who serve in Congress.

6. Describe the compensation and privileges of members of Congress.

Text 1: The Role of Congress in a Democracy

1.Vocabulary: Determine Meaning The history of the present King of Britain, wrote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States.

What do you think the word usurpations means? What impact did this view of King George IIIs rule have on the form of government that emerged from the Declaration of Independence? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

2. Determine Authors Point of View Use this concept web to take notes on the roles and voting options of members of Congress.

Text 2: CongressThe Job

3.Compare and Contrast Refer to the slideshare at https://www.slideshare.net/aquinaspolitics/how-representative-is-congress

and the PEW Research Center article at http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/12/114th-congress-is-most-diverse-ever/

. Using the text and resources listed above, compare and contrast the composition of Congress with that of the general population.

4.Support a Point of View with Evidence Use the text to write an opinion about the extent to which the composition of Congress should reflect that of the general population.

Text 3: Terms and Sessions of Congress

5.Use Visual InformationRefer to the text and the timeline. What is the relationship between terms and sessions of Congress? Why do you think the Framers established sessions of Congress?

6. Draw Conclusions In what ways are checks and balances applied to sessions of Congress?

Text 4: Congressional Compensation

7. Paraphrase The late Senator Russell Long (D., Louisiana) characterized Congresss constitutional right to fix its own pay as a power that no good man would want and no bad man should have. What do you think he meant?

8.Draw Conclusions How and why did the 27th Amendment modify the authority of Congress to set its own pay? Why did it take so long to pass?

9. Support a Point of View with Evidence Use the line graph on Median Annual Income in the text to write an opinion on this statement: Congress is reluctant to vote to raise its own salary.

Lesson 4.2 The Two Houses

Key Terms

apportioned

reapportion

single-member district

at-large

gerrymandered

off-year elections

Randy Duke Cunningham

incumbent

James Madison

Woodrow Wilson

Robert C. Byrd

continuous body

constituencies

Bob Packwood

Academic Vocabulary

grossly: obviously

peculiar: unusual, odd

gouging: cheating, swindling

maneuvering: deal-making or strategy

susceptible: likely to be affected by, vulnerable

clout: power, influence

extralegal: informal, not covered by law

incumbency: the current holding of the office

concurrence: agreement

Lesson Objectives

1.Explain how House seats are distributed, and describe the length of a term in the House.

2.Explain how House seats are reapportioned among the States after each census.

3.Describe a typical congressional election and congressional district.

4. Analyze the formal and informal qualifications for election to the House and the Senate.

5. Compare the size of the Senate to the size of the House of Representatives.

6.Explain how and why a senators term differs from a representatives term.

Text 1: The House

1.Determine Authors Point of View Thomas Jefferson, in a conversation with George Washington, expressed his opposition to a two-chambered legislature, while pouring his coffee into a saucer to cool it. Pointing out the similarity to the purpose of the two-chambered legislature, George Washington replied, we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.

What do you think George Washington meant? Consider this quotation, and the information in the text, as you answer this question: How does the distribution of Senate seats among the States illustrate the principle of federalism?

Text 2: Reapportionment of Congress

2. Integrate Information from Diverse Sources Study the maps and read the article at http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/how-congressional-representation-has-changed-over-the-past-50-years/

on reapportionment. What overall trends in population movement are seen? What is the significance of census results for each States congressional districts? What are the implications for policy decisions made at the Federal level?

Text 3: House Elections

3.Cite Evidence Read the article and study the graph at https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/democrats-unlikely-to-regain-house-in-2014/

Does the data support the popular perception that the party that holds the presidency loses seats in the off-year elections? If so, what do you think explains the results?

4.Draw Conclusions In the 1994 mid-term election, the Democratic party lost 52 seats in the House, down to 206 seats total, and 8 seats in the Senate, down to 45 seats total. What effect do you think this had on the Democratic Presidents legislative agenda?

Text 4: Qualifications for Office in the House

6. Support a Point of View with Evidence Of the different informal qualifications for membership in the House mentioned in the text, which do you think are most significant in obtaining a seat?

Text 5: The Senate: Size, Election, and Terms

7. Infer Read the text about the events detailing the political career of Victor L. Berger of Wisconsin. What can you infer about the democratic process from this series of events?

8.Analyze Charts Study the chart on the growth of the membership of the House and Senate. What factors influenced the growth of the Senate and the House? What could account for the time periods when the greatest number of seats were added to the Senate and the House?

9. Vocabulary: Analyze Word Choices It is harder for a poor man to enter the United States Senate than for a rich man to enter Heaven. In what way does this aphorism from the late nineteenth century express the popular movement that resulted in ratification of the 17th Amendment?

Text 6: Qualifications for Office in the Senate

10.Compare and Contrast Compare and contrast the constitutional, as well as customary, requirements for the House and Senate. What do you think the Framers intended in differentiating the requirements? Do you agree?

Lesson 4.3 The Expressed Powers

Key Terms

expressed powers

implied powers

inherent powers

commerce power

Hudson River

John Marshall

tax

District of Columbia

public debt

deficit financing

Bill Clinton

bankruptcy

legal tender

copyright

patent

Boston

Philadelphia

Benjamin Franklin

territory

eminent domain

naturalization

Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard Nixon

Academic Vocabulary

sweeping: wide-ranging

impotent: powerless

creditor: person to whom money is owed

Lesson Objectives

1.Describe the three types of powers delegated to Congress.

2.Understand the expressed powers of Congress, including the commerce, taxing, bankruptcy, and borrowing powers, and explain why the Framers gave Congress the power to issue currency.

3.Identify the key sources of the foreign relations powers of Congress.

4.Describe the power-sharing arrangement between Congress and the President on the issues of war and national defense.

5.List other key domestic powers exercised by Congress.

Text 1: Types of Congressional Powers

1.Identify Supporting Details Under Types of Congressional Powers, what details support the idea that government in the United States is limited government and that the American system of government is federal in form?

2.Draw Conclusions Read the third paragraph of The Expressed Powers. Select one of the questions listed regarding the scope of the Commerce Clause, and record it in the table, below. As you read the rest of the text for this lesson, record notes about the question, and then write and explain a conclusion for the following question: Do you consider this an example of the Commerce Clause?

Text 2: T

Congressional Compensation The late Senator Russell Long (D., Louisiana) once characterized this provision as one that gives to members of Congress “a power that no good man would want and no bad man should have.” The 27th Amendment modified this pay-setting authority.

How and why did the 27th Amendment modify the authority of Congress to set its own pay quizlet?

How and why did the 27th Amendment modify the authority of Congress to set its own pay? Well the Twenty-seventh prohibited any any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until the start of the next set of terms of office for Representatives.

Why was it important to modify this authority with the 27th Amendment?

Why was it important to modify this authority with the 27th Amendment? they know their term in office means an election is right around the corner. a short term of office coupled with checks and balances on representatives’ powers.

How does the Senate arrangement differ from the House?

How does the Senate differ from the House? The senate’s members are chosen from an entire state, House members are chosen from local districts. There are 100 members in the senate, there are 435 voting members in the house. The senate is national leadership, while the house is local or narrow leadership.

Why is the Senate the upper house?

The Senate It is called the upper house because it has fewer members than the House of Representatives and has powers not granted to the House, such as giving approval to appointments of Cabinet secretaries and federal judges.

What is a senator’s responsibilities?

Senators: debate and vote on bills (proposed laws); represent the views of people in their state/territory; work on parliamentary committees to examine important issues; attend parliamentary party meetings to decide on party policy; scrutinise—closely examine—the work of the government; and discuss issues of national …

Who is the leader of the lower house?

United States House of Representatives
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) since January 3, 2019
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) since January 3, 2019
Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D) since January 3, 2019
Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R) since January 3, 2019

Who has power of the Senate?

The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President’s appointments that require consent, and to provide advice and consent to ratify treaties. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule: the House must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade.

What power denied to Congress is the most important?

Today, there are four remaining relevant powers denied to Congress in the U.S. Constitution: the Writ of Habeas Corpus, Bills of Attainder and Ex Post Facto Laws, Export Taxes and the Port Preference Clause.

What are two powers denied to Congress?

Congress has numerous prohibited powers dealing with habeas corpus, regulation of commerce, titles of nobility, ex post facto and taxes.

Why is Congress so powerful?

Why is US Congress so Powerful? 1) It is independent from the executive branch of government and cannot be controlled by it. Congress can and does ignore or over-rule presidential policies. 2) It controls the purse-strings, a particular function of the House of Representatives.

How does Congress affect us?

Through legislative debate and compromise, the U.S. Congress makes laws that influence our daily lives. It holds hearings to inform the legislative process, conducts investigations to oversee the executive branch, and serves as the voice of the people and the states in the federal government.

What are the 8 powers of Congress?

Congress has the power to:

  • Make laws.
  • Declare war.
  • Raise and provide public money and oversee its proper expenditure.
  • Impeach and try federal officers.
  • Approve presidential appointments.
  • Approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch.
  • Oversight and investigations.

What is the most important power given to Congress?

The most important power Congress has is to make laws, and a bill only becomes a law after it has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Can the Congress borrow money?

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power “To borrow Money on the credit of the United States.” At first, Congress authorized each debt issuance, often for a specific purpose.

What branch is Congress?

The legislative branch

Which branch can declare war?

The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war.

What stops one branch from becoming too powerful?

The system of checks and balances stops one branch of the federal government from becoming too powerful. The United States government is divided into three separate branches. They are the president, Congress, and the courts. This is one way the president limits, or “checks,” the power of Congress.

What’s the highest branch of government?

The Judicial part of our federal government includes the Supreme Court and 9 Justices. They are special judges who interpret laws according to the Constitution. These justices only hear cases that pertain to issues related to the Constitution. They are the highest court in our country.

Who leads the judicial branch?

the Chief Justice of California

What powers does the judicial branch have?

The Judicial Branch

  • Interpreting state laws;
  • Settling legal disputes;
  • Punishing violators of the law;
  • Hearing civil cases;
  • Protecting individual rights granted by the state constitution;
  • Determing the guilt or innocence of those accused of violating the criminal laws of the state;

Why is the judicial branch the most important?

Not only does it protect the law and rights given to us as Americans by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but makes sure that all branches of the government are working to do their job, of the people, by the people and for the people of the United States of America.

What powers does the Constitution give the judicial branch?

The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;–to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;–to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction …