A Brief History and Present Day of American Congress - Term Paper Example

The United States Congress: Past and Present Introduction As with all forms of power in government, the role that the Congress plays in the political sphere of the United States has evolved, grown, and diminished over the past century. According to the Constitution, the role of Congress (legislative branch) was intended to be one that held the most power as compared to the judicial and executive branches of government. The founders framed the legislative branch in such a way due to the fact that it was the representative assembly that they most strongly believed represented the views of the electorate. As stated, however, the role of this branch of government has changed greatly since its inception, especially within the past century. As such, this essay will seek to understand the key changes and developments that have worked to both increase and decrease the power of the United States Congress. A Brief History of Congress The U.S. Congress has evolved through the years. Upon declaring independence from England in 1776, the Articles of Confederation were written. This was the guiding governing document of the country for 12 years. In those early years, the Second Continental Congress was actually formed. This is really the first instance of Congress in the United States, as the first Continental Congress actually came into being before the Revolutionary was fought. In fact, the Second Continental Congress was actually the national government until 1789, as there was no chief executive or president before 1789. Congress has a storied history. Because America desired to rid itself of the strong government rule the existed during Colonial times (when England governed the country), the first government of the United States under the Articles of Confederation actually called for a weak central government. This was in exchange for each of the 13 colonies, soon to be referred to as states, having more say in what when on between their individual borders. Over the first 12 years of the nation’s history, it because obvious that there were some problems with the Articles of Confederation. While it was a great beginning point for how to govern the nation, something more was needed. In 1787, a new Congressional Convention was called to address these problems. Rather than fix the Articles of Confederation, Representatives opted to rewrite an entire new Constitution. It was during this convention that the idea of a Congress was created, in addition to two other branches, the executive and the judicial. The theory was that each separate branch would balance out the powers of the other two, so that no one branch contained too much power. For its part, it was decided that Congress would have two separate houses. One house, the Senate, would give each state the same number (2) of senators, while the House of Representatives would see delegates handed out proportionate to the size of a given state. While the number of senators from each state would not change, the number of representatives from each state can change with each census held once a decade. The total number of representatives in Congress currently stands at 435. This is the system that has continued to this day. Over the years, as new states were added (through the 50th state of Hawaii), the two houses of Congress simply grew a bit with each new addition until its current number that has remained until the present day. Throughout its early history, the control of Congress was fiercely fought over. Various parties came and went, each one vying for control of the legislative branch of the government. In the early days of America, laws were few and far between, so the party who gained control of the Senate and the House of Representatives had a perceived advantage in shaping the legacy of the young country. It was also during this time that the United States began shaping a foreign policy procedure. The Democrat Republican party of 1776, for example, was a supporter of the French Revolution. During the next election, they lost control of both the House of Representative and the U.S. Senate, as Americans overwhelmingly did not want to be dragged into yet another war (Smith 225). In essence, this was exactly how the framers of the Constitution desired Congress would work. It is considered to be the ‘people’s’ branch of government. If elected officials, or parties, do not do what the general populace wants at the time, they can be voted out in the next election. For the House of Representatives, this is every two years. For the Senate, this is every six years. Interestingly enough, there have never been any term limitations place on members of Congress, while the President is now limited to two four-year terms. The United States Congress: Present Day Prior to the 1970’s, the atmosphere in both houses of Congress took on a friendly tone. No matter what party affiliation was from, friendly gatherings ‘across the aisle’ frequently took place. Compromises were often found and animosity, while certainly existent, was not often aired out in public. This all changed, it seemed, when Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal hit. When Watergate occurred, the Congress was already bitterly divided. No party seemed to be able to gain a lasting foothold on either house of Congress, so an era or partisanship began the still, to a large extent, remains today. Partisanship is the idea that a member of a given party will stick with the majority, no matter what. When this occurs, it is often difficult to break a deadlock because neither side is willing to budge. This certainly seems to be contrary to what the intended purpose of the legislative body. Watergate simply compounded these problems, as President Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, made a series of unpopular decisions. This damaged the Republican Party, causing a tremendous loss of seats in both houses of Congress, and ushering in Jimmy Carter as President. In the modern era, the party is control of Congress seems to change based on the President’s popularity, or lack thereof. Carter was a one-term Democrat. His defeat in 1980 ushered in twelve years of Republican executive rule, which created, for the most part, a Republican Congress. The partisanship continued, as the Republican passed through their economic agenda, to the partisan objection of the Democrats. What is interesting, then, is that with the election of President Bill Clinton, eight years of Democratic rule began whereby the Democratic Party began to pass through their own legislative agenda. So has gone the recent history of Congress. The intention of balancing the power of both parties seemed to have been accomplished until recent history. Now, the party in power seems to dominate any legislative agenda, thereby causing effective rule over the federal government and the country at large (Smith 385-392). Because of George Bush’s waning popularity towards the end of his Presidency, Barack Obama was ushered into the White House, with the Democratic Party gaining control over both the Houses of Representatives and the Senate. This lasted only two years, however, as the American people felt not enough had been done. They voted in the Republican Party to control the House, while the Democratic Party kept control over the Senate. This has remained for the last six years. Even though the Democrats maintain a very slim majority in the Senate, it is enough to block any Republican propose legislative item because of the fierce partisanship that has come into existent in the present day Congress. Many pieces of legislation have stalled, as members of Congress appear unwilling to meet together and reach compromises. Until a return to the old days of Congressional ‘back door meetings’ occur, this trend is likely to continue. Finally, the present day Congress has had its share of scandals and corruption charges. It should be pointed out that this certainly existed even in the early days of Congress, but due to the media’s influence today, these cases are much more public and open than in the past. Members of both major political parties have been disgraced in the present day Congress for a variety of transgressions include sexual misconduct, bribe taking, and succumbing to lobbyist influence. Conclusion The United States Congress is a wonderful part of the United States government. Its purpose is to make sure that states rights are protected, while ensuring a strong federal government that can maintain control in times of turmoil, and be able to protect its citizenry from a host of possible trouble both foreign and domestic. This is no easy task to be sure, and the Congress has certainly has its share of difficulties and struggles during it’s over 200 year existence. The intents and purposes of the legislative body remain unchanged, however, and many point to that fact alone as they beauty of the American Constitution and the protections that it affords all citizens of the United States. Congress is here to ensure that those rights are protected and to make sure the judicial and executive branch never exert supreme authority over the country. These are the goals of the United States Congress and we can only that the 535 members, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, continue to work together to make sure that these aims are met for centuries to come. Works Cited Smith, Steven S. The American Congress (Fourth Edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2006. Print. Read More