Founder James Madison wrote, "to control the legislative authority, you must divide it." When it came to Congress, the Constitution did just that
Explain how the bicameral design of Congress works as a check on congressional power. Be sure to include terms of office, timing of elections, and age and residency requirements in your discussion.
Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Explain that House and Senate members serve different terms of office and are reelected on different schedules. The purpose was to make House members more responsive to voters back home and to insulate Senators from popular displeasure.
2. House members must be 25 and citizens for seven years, whereas Senators have to be 30 and citizens for nine years.
3. The Framers purpose in setting the Senate requirements higher was to have the Senate serve as a check on what James Madison called the "fickleness and passion" of the House. This is also why the Framers originally had Senators picked by state legislators, although this was changed in 1913 to a direct election.
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Large majorities of Americans oppose what kind of spending program?
a. K–12 education b. unemployment insurance c. arms sales abroad d. Medicaid
Why does the United States have a two-party system?
a. The Framers wanted competition between political parties. b. The Framers wanted to avoid the mistakes of Europe. c. It was a compromise between a unitary system's efficiency and a multi-party system's diversity. d. It developed in the struggle between slave owners and abolitionists. e. It developed in the struggle between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.