THE 2 HOUSE CONGRESS

​

​HOW DOES A 2-HOUSE
CONGRESS GUARD AGAINST
TYRANNY?

​SOME SMART FACTS
ABOUT CONGRESS

Poll

FIRST,

WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW

ABOUT CONGRESS? (PICK ALL THE ONES YOU KNOW SO FAR...)

• CONGRESS MAKES LAWS

• CONGRESS IS

  THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• THERE'S THE SENATE & THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

• I KNEW ALL THESE FACTS

• UM, I DON'T REALLY KNOW THIS YET

​

​FIRST FACTS: CONGRESS

• HAS 2 HOUSES

• MAKES THE NATION'S LAWS

• REPRESENTS CITIZENS & STATES WITH SENATORS & STATE REPRESENTATIVES

​HOW TO REPRESENT PEOPLE & STATES

IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE BIG STATES AND SMALL STATES

WHEN THE CONSTITUTION WAS BEING MADE, PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT 2 BIG ISSUES:

1.HOW DO WE KEEP THE BIG STATES FROM HAVING TOO MUCH POWER IN CONGRESS?

2.HOW DO WE KEEP THE SMALL STATES FROM HAVING TOO MUCH POWER IN CONGRESS?


IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DO WE BALANCE REPRESENTATION
AND POWER IN CONGRESS?

​

​

​SOLUTION: 2 HOUSE CONGRESS

​THE SENATE

HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES

• 100 MEMBERS

• 2 PER STATE (EQUAL)

• GIVES POWER

  TO SMALL STATES

• 435 MEMBERS

• SET BY STATE POPULATION

• GIVES POWER

  TO BIG STATES

Drag and Drop

NO MATTER HOW BIG A STATE'S POPULATION, IT WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME NUMBER

OF MEMBERS IN THE ​

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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

SENATE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Drag and Drop

THE BIG STATES HAVE POWER IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE REPRESENTED ​

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BY POPULATION

EQUALLY

Dropdown

IN THE ​

Select answer

, THE STATES ARE ALL REPRESENTED EQUALLY. THIS PROTECTS THE ​

Select answer

FROM THE BIG STATES.

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IN THE ​

Select answer

, THE STATES ARE REPRESENTED BY POPULATION. THIS PROTECTS THE ​

Select answer

FROM THE SMALL STATES.

​let's compare Nevada
and California

​small
population

​big
population

Multiple Choice

Even though Nevada is a small state, it still has

the same number of SENATORS as California

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

California has more members in the House of Representatives than Nevada

• True

• False