The Legislative Branch: How It Is Set Up

Why did Montesquieu think it was important to divide the government into three branches?

-by doing this, each branchis limited in its power

Legislative Branch Congress is the legislative branch of our national government, according to Article I of the Constitution. The Framers created two houses of Congress. The two houses are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

SenateTo be a member of the United States Senate…•Must live in the state you represent•Each state sends two persons to the Senate•Senators must be at least 30 years old•Must be a citizen of United States for at least nine years

Senate -As part of the Great Compromise, two people from each state are elected to represent that state in the Senate -This made the smaller states happy-100 total

House of RepresentativesTo be a member of the House of Representatives…•Must have been a citizen for at least seven years•Must be at least 25 years old•Must live in the district that they representThe number of representatives that each state can send is based on its population.

House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the 2 chambers of the united States Congress. Each states receives representatives in the house based on population.

What powers does Congress have?•Coin money•Create court system•Raise an army and navy to defend our nation•Pass laws•Declare war•Tax the people •Provide general welfare

The Powers of the Legislative Branch

Fill in the blank with the correct term.1. ____________ The lower house of congress with 435 members.2. ____________ Individuals elected by voters to represent them in

the government.3. ____________ The leader of the House of Representatives.4. ____________ A public discussion presenting different sides of an

issue.5. ____________ The process of bringing charges against a

government official in order to remove them from office.

Fill in the blanks.1. At what age can a person become senator? ___________

2. The government performs a census every ________ years in order to determine the number of representatives in the House of Representatives.

3. The Legislative branch is made up of ____ houses.

4. The decision to divide the Legislative branch was a result of the __________ __________.

5. There are ______ people from each state in the Senate.

6. The number of representatives in the House in based on _________.

Branches of the Government