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Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution
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Article
I
Article I of the Constitution
sets up the Congress. Congress is divided into two parts, the Senate
and the House of Representatives, as a result of the Great
Compromise. Article I describes the powers
given or delegated to Congress. The main responsibility of Congress is to make
laws for the United States, but Congress has other duties. Article
I also limits the powers of Congress and names certain things that
Congress cannot do, such as make ex post facto
laws. According to Article I, Congress must meet at least
once each year.
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The U.S. Capitol Building, Washington D.C.
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Powers delegated to Congress
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money |
collect taxes,
decide how to spend money
print and coin money,
borrow money |
| war |
declare war |
| justice |
set up federal courts
impeach president or other federal official |
| regulations |
create and run
post offices
set up standards of weights and measures
build and maintain highways
pass copyright and patent laws
admit new states and territories to the U.S.
pass laws about immigration and naturalization |
| foreign
relations |
approves or
disapproves treaties with other countries |
changes
in the
Constitution |
propose amendments to
the Constitution |
| commerce |
control business
between states
control trade between U.S. and other countries |
| new
issues |
pass laws that are
necessary and proper for carrying out duties |
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Article I prohibits or forbids
Congress from doing the following:
- cannot pass ex
post facto law
- ex post facto means
"after the fact"
An ex post facto law makes an act illegal after it has
been done. For example, a person gambles on a riverboat
on Monday and it's legal then, but then on Tuesday a law is
passed saying anyone who gambled on Monday has committed
a crime.
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- cannot pass bill
of attainder
- a bill of attainder is a
law that punishes a person without a trial
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- cannot suspend writ
of habeas corpus
- A writ of habeas corpus protects
people from illegal imprisonment. A person cannot be put in jail
or prison until he or she has appeared before a judge. The
reason for arrest has to be explained to the person and the
judge. Article I says this right cannot be suspended or taken
away.
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- cannot grant
title of nobility
- Congress cannot make anyone a king
or queen, duke or duchess, prince or princess. No royal
titles can be given by the United States
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The
U.S. Senate
Congress is divided into two houses, the Senate and the
House of Representatives. According to the Constitution, each
state elects 2 senators. Now there are 100 senators because there are 50 states. The number of
senators has changed over the years as the number of states in the U.S.
increased.
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Information about Senators
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| How many |
100 - 2 from each of the 50
states |
| Requirements |
must be 30 years old
must be a U.S. citizen for 9 years |
| Term of
office |
6 years |
| Presiding
officer |
the vice president of the U.S.
or
the president pro tempore of the
Senate when the vice president is absent |
| Special
duties |
approves or disapproves
treaties with other countries
approves or disapproves presidential appointments
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The
House of Representatives
There are 435 members of the House.
Every state has at least one representative in the House, but states
have different amounts of representatives depending on how many people live in the
state. The larger a state's population, the
more representatives it has. |
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The Chamber of the House of Representatives
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Members of the House meet in the room
pictured above. Members of the House sit on benches. The House first
moved into this room on December 16,
1857. The House Chamber is the largest room in the
Capitol Building, so it is also used when the the House and Senate meet
in joint sessions or when the President addresses Congress.
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Information about
Representatives
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| How
many |
435 always
The number of representatives depends on how many people live in each
state. States with a larger total population have more members
than states with smaller populations.
Each state has at least one representative. |
| Requirements |
must be 25 years old
must be a U.S. citizen for 7 years |
| Term
of office |
2 years |
| Presiding
officer |
Speaker of the House |
| Special
duties |
Impeach,
or bring charges against, the president or federal official
Choose a president if
no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes |
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