bicameral legislature

Examples of bicameral legislature in the following topics:

• The Virginia and New Jersey Plans

  • The Virginia Plan proposed a legislative branch consisting of two chambers (bicameral legislature).
  • The dual principles of rotation in office and recall would be applied to the lower house of the national legislature.
  • Members of one of the two legislative chambers would be elected by the people and members of that chamber would then elect the second chamber from nominations submitted by state legislatures.
  • The New Jersey Plan, on the other hand, proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state, regardless of size, would have one vote, as under the Articles of Confederation.
  • Perhaps the most important of these was introduced by the Connecticut Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature with the U.S.

• State Constitutions

  • They had also elected conventions and "legislatures" that existed outside of any currently established legal framework.
  • Bicameral legislatures, with the upper house serving as a check on the lower
  • Strong governors with veto power over the legislature and substantial appointment authority
  • In 1790, conservatives gained power in the state legislature, called for a new constitutional convention, and rewrote the constitution.
  • The new constitution substantially reduced universal white-male suffrage, gave the governor veto power and patronage appointment authority, and added to the unicameral legislature an upper house with substantial wealth qualifications.

• Conclusion: The Development of the Constitution

  • Would representatives be chosen by state legislatures?
  • The Virginia Plan proposed a legislative branch consisting of two chambers (bicameral legislature).
  • In contrast, the New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state, regardless of size, would have one vote.
  • The Connecticut Compromise established a bicameral legislature, with the U.S.
  • Thus, to avoid giving the people too much direct power, the delegates made certain that senators were chosen by the state legislatures, not elected directly by the people (direct elections of senators came with the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913).

• Government During the War

  • This Congress followed the United States model of a bicameral legislature; two senators represented each state and members of the house of representatives were apportioned according to free and slave populations within each state.

• A New Constitution

  • One of the key debates during the drafting of the Constitution regarded state representation in the legislature.
  • Delegates also accepted the need for either a unicameral (one-house) or a bicameral (two-house) legislature.
  • This plan also proposed a bicameral legislature.
  • This plan proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state, regardless of size, would have one vote.
  • However, the Connecticut Compromise proposed by Roger Sherman outlined a system of bicameral legislation that included both proportional and equal representation.

• "A More Perfect Union"

  • The first area of major dispute was how representation would be apportioned in the bicameral legislature.
  • It is a living and breathing document that can be amended with three-fourths of the state legislatures approval.

• The Branches of Government

  • The United States Constitution set out three separate branches of government: the legislature, executive branch, and judiciary.
  • The United States has a bicameral (two-house) legislature composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

• The Structure of the Government

  • Delegates largely accepted without dispute the need for a bicameral (two-house) legislature, similar to the British Parliament.
  • However, since the United States had no natural aristocracy (no equivalent to a "House of Lords") they were uncertain as to the character of an American bicameral representative body.
  • However, the "Connecticut Compromise" (more popularly known as the "Great Compromise") proposed by Roger Sherman outlined a system of bicameral legislation that included both proportional and equal representation.
  • The delegates also agreed that the executive office should be comprised of a single individual elected for a fixed term, in which foreign affairs, control over the armed forces, and the appointment of federal officers (including judges) would be consigned. in order to ensure that the executive would be independent of the national legislature and of the enfranchised population, the delegates created an extensive electoral college system, whose members were chosen by state legislatures.
  • At the end of the Convention, most delegates were in favor of sending the final draft of the Constitution to the state legislatures for ratification.

• The U.S. Constitution

  • Delegates also accepted the need for a bicameral (two-house) legislature, similar to the British Parliament.
  • However, the "Connecticut Compromise" proposed by Roger Sherman outlined a system of bicameral legislation that included both proportional and equal representation.

• Financial Chaos and Paper Money

  • Implementation of most decisions, including modifications to the Articles, required unanimous approval of all 13 state legislatures.
  • Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was denied any powers of taxation and could only request money from the state legislatures.
  • Jay and the Congress responded in May by requesting $45 million from State legislatures.