The United States Constitution

Branches of Govt.

Article 1 Section 2

Congress

House of Representatives

-Age 25 years old
-7 years a citizen of the USA
-# of Representatives is based on population (Census) of each State. [ Originally based on the number (#) of FREE PERSONS. Excluding Native Americans, not taxed and 3/5ths of all other persons.

-1st Census was 1787 +3 = 1790 and then every 10 years after that.

-# of Representative per State = 1 per 30,000 persons with a minimum of 1 per State.
In 1787 (prior to 1790)

New Hampshire = 3
Rhode Island/Providence Plantation = 1
Massachuettes = 8
Connecticut = 5
New York = 6
New Jersey = 4
Pennsylvania = 8
Delaware = 1
Maryland = 6
Virginia = 10
North Carolina = 5
South Carolina = 5
Georgia = 3


Article 1 Section 3

Senate
-2 Senators per State
-6 years
-Originally Senators were selected by the State Legislature (changed in the 17th Amendment*)

- Age 35
- 9 years a citizen of the USA

The US Vice President is PRESIDENT of the Senate but he/she has no voting power for Bills (unless the political parties are equally divided)

*Amendment 17 ratified on 4/8/1913 changed this part:
-2 Senators per State ELECTED by the PEOPLE
-still 6 year terms
-Each Senator has 1 vote

Senators serve 6 years, but every 2 years 1/3 of the Senate is up for Re-election.

What do they do?
Power to Impeach
Impeach means Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature that allows for formal charges against a civil officer of government for crimes committed in office. The actual trial on those charges, and subsequent removal of an official on conviction on those charges, is separate from the act of impeachment itself.

At the Philadelphia Convention, Benjamin Franklin noted that, historically, the removal of “obnoxious” chief executives had been accomplished by assassination. Franklin suggested that a proceduralized mechanism for removal — impeachment — would be preferable.[1]