The United States Government
The Legislative Branch
Congress
The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning it is composed of two branches; the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both the House and the Senate were created by the constitution. The House of Representatives was created to favor the bigger states because it was based on population, however the Senate was created to favor the smaller states, having an even 100 members.
The House of Representatives
The House of Representatives has 435 members and is divided out to states based on their population. For example California has 53 members in the House, but Montana only has 1 member. To become a member in the House of Representatives one must be hard-working and organized, however you also must be at least 25 years old and been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, if you win you will be in the House for two years before you are up for reelection. The main job of the House of Representatives is to pass laws. Some laws will become a law relatively easy, such as the U.S. Patriot Act after September 11th, while others it may be a grueling process, such as health care legislation.
The Senate
The Senate of the United States of America has 100 members, two members from each of the fifty states. This gives the smaller states just as much say in the Senate as larger states; for example Rhode Island has as much say as Texas. To become a Senator one person must be at least 30 years old and been and United States citizen for at least 9 years. Once a person becomes a Senator they will serve a 6 year long term. Serving in the Senate is more prestigious than serving in the House of Representatives because they are only two senators from your state, and they serve longer terms.
