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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In 2007, the Supreme Court took which of the following decisions on race and education?
A. It opposed race-based public school initiatives, even if the goal of those initiatives is to enhance diversity. B. It rejected all measures to encourage racial diversity at universities. C. It emphasized the need to expand efforts to ensure racial integration in public schools. D. It approved efforts to expand racial diversity in universities only if the methods employed were systematic and quantifiable. E. It avoided addressing cases related to racial initiatives in either universities or public schools.
Today, crime rates are
A. growing quickly. B. much higher than they were in the mid 1990s. C. slightly higher than they were in the mid 1990s. D. about the same as they were in the mid 1990s. E. generally lower than they were in the mid 1990s.
The condition that exists when Congress is unable to act to change the status quo is known as __________
A)deference B)stalemate C)impasse D)gridlock
Jared is a high school student. He belongs to the student council and takes driver's education classes once a week at the motor club across town
Which group is likely to have more of an impact on Jared's political opinions and values: his student council classmates or his driving-school classmates? Explain your reasoning. Answer: