This is an article in the continuing series of learning about the Constitution and our rights as American citizens
Article One of the Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the government and gives its powers and its limits. There are 10 sections to article one. The founding fathers didn’t want any part of the government to become too powerful and to be able to thereby create an oppressive situation among men, so they gave each part of the government power and limitations.
Article One Section One of the Constitution:
The legislative branch is the branch that makes the laws, and the peoples’ representatives do that in the House and the Senate. There are two senators for each state, and the number of representatives in the house for each state depends on the state’s population. This was a way for each state to be represented equally and, at the same time, have a proportionate amount of representatives for its population.
The state with the most representatives in the House is California with 53, and seven states have only one representative. Florida has 27 representatives. The Constitution does not limit the number of terms a person can serve in the Senate or the House, as long as they are re-elected by popular vote.
The power to legislate or make laws was seen as the most important government branch by our founding fathers. Unless a law is written, nothing further happens in the judicial or executive branches of our government.
Here are some definitions to help understand this article and section better:
Article– a clause in a legal document, a smaller part. It comes from the Latin word “articulus” small, or a connecting part
Congress– the word congress comes from “con” together plus “gress” to move, so to move together.
Senate– the word comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin Senatus), which was an assembly of the older, wiser, and more experienced members of the Roman ruling class.