The Constitution

The drafting of the Constitution began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, and ended on September 17, 1787, the day the Constitution drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed.

The term Founding Fathers of the United States of America refers broadly to those individuals of the Thirteen British Colonies in North America who led the American Revolution against the authority of the British Crown and established the United States of America. It is also used more narrowly, referring specifically to those who either signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or who were delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and took part in drafting the proposed Constitution of the United States

The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution.

Created - September 25, 1789 Ratified - December 15, 1791

Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power.

http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/bill-of-rights/

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Congress, and it currently counts 435 men and women among its members. House members are popularly elected by constituents in their home states; they don't represent the entire state, but rather specific geographic districts within the state. House members serve 2-year terms. The framers of the federal government intended the House of Representatives to have more frequent elections in order to better serve the immediate needs of citizens. California is currently the most populous state, therefore it has 53 representatives in the U.S. House.

House members must be:

· at least 25 years of age

· a citizen of the United States for at least seven years prior to election

· a resident of the state he or she is chosen to represent

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the chamber. (John Boehner) usually a senior member of the majority party. The speaker applies House rules and refers bills to specific House committees for review. The speaker is also 3d in line to the presidency, after the vice president.

Powers:

the power of impeachment,

To start all revenue bills.

The U.S. Senate is the upper legislative chamber in the federal government. It’s also the more powerful body, with just 100 members. Each state is granted 2 senators who represent the entire state; senators serve 6-year terms and are popularly elected by their constituents.

The vice president of the United States presides over the Senate and casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Senate leadership also includes president pro tempore who presides in the absence of the vice president, a majority leader who appoints members to lead and serve on various committees, and a minority leader. Both parties —majority and minority—also have a whip who helps marshal senators’ votes along party lines.

· at least 30 years old.

· a U.S. citizen for at least nine years at the time of election to the Senate.

· a resident of the state one is elected to represent in the Senate

Powers:

· confirming presidential appointments, and it confirms them with a simple majority vote (only when is session)

· oversight of the executive branch of government - reform the operations of the executive branch

· create new laws (senators can effectively filibuster new bills by ignoring the important points of new legislation and delaying the vote on the bill

· Treaty Ratification

Junior Senator and Senior Senator: Each state has two senators. The senator with the longer service in the Senate is the “senior senator” and the senator with the lesser service in the Senate is the “junior senator.”

Seniority, i.e., length of service in the Senate, generally determines the location of a senator’s desk on the Senate floor, with more senior members often having desks closer to the rostrum. However, senators can choose not to move to a closer desk. See the Senate Seating Chart.

The Congressional Record, which has been published by the Government Printing Office (GPO) since 1873. GPO publishes new issues of the record daily and transmits each new issue to the Library of Congress overnight.

Lobbyists are people who are paid to influence policy-makers at the local, state and federal levels.

The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States. It is located in the West Wing of the White House Complex.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29