American Government › Section K · Congress › Topic K.1
The institutional design of Congress
The framers put Congress first in the Constitution and split it into two very different chambers. How seats are shared out, how district lines are drawn and which powers Congress holds still shape who wins power in Washington and what it can do.
In this topic
- The first branch
- Why two chambers?
- The Senate: equal votes for unequal states
- Apportioning the House
- Worked example: the 2020 reapportionment
- Redistricting and equal population
- Gerrymandering
- Worked example: packing and cracking
- Three kinds of power
- Checks, oversight and a shifting balance
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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