ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how Congress has helped, and at times thwarted, America’s approach to democracy as it transforms public demands into governmental action. The United States (US) Congress is among the world’s most powerful legislatures. If the dominant congressional faction is large and determined enough, it can override presidential vetoes and make national policy entirely on its own. The chambers would develop significantly different structures and purposes. James Madison referred to the House of Representatives as “the great repository of the Democratic principle of government”—that is, the one most sensitive to public opinion. The House would be made up of popularly elected representatives serving two-year terms. Until 1913, most Senate members were chosen by their state legislatures, ensuring that they were, in fact, somewhat removed from the mass electorate. The House of Representatives votes on the charges, and then the trial takes place in the Senate.
