FREE ESSAY ON HOUSE VS. SENATE

HOUSE VS. SENATE

When the Constitution was written, there was turmoil over what the legislative body would
be like. Representatives argued and fought for hours until a compromise was made. The
legislation would be bicameral so that both small states and large states would get equal
representation. It was decided that one house would have a set number of representatives
from each state and another house that has proportional representation from each state.
The Constitution was made so that the government would be a system of checks and balances
however, so each house was given different powers. The houses in Congress, the Senate and
the House of Representatives, were made to have balancing powers over each other and that
these powers were clearly distinguished in the Constitution. In Congress today we can
clearly see those differences between the two houses in term limits, ability to confirm
presidential appointees, and the ability to impeach and try a federal officer.
Congress was meant to be an equal representation of two kinds of people, the commoner and
the rich. The Senate, which has much more power than the House, was given a six-year term
limit. In the House, the intended "commoners" half, there is a two-year term. The term
limits are the greatest differences in Congress because there is more time in the Senate.
The Senate is allowed to deliberate for as long as they would like over a bill, but the
House is given only a certain time and must decide. This term limit also put strict rules
on the House, because they must act quickly and more lax rules on the Senate. Also, there
are more committees and specialists on certain issues in the House, which speeds up the
process of lawmaking. The term limits give the Senate more power because they may take
their time as the House must hurry and rush.
In order to keep the executive branch in check; the Senate was given the power to confirm
presidential appointees. This ability shows that the Senate again has much more power
than the House. The president, who is in charge of nominating over 4,000 appointees, must
get each appointee by the Senate. If a person's integrity is questioned, the Senate will
hold hearings and decide if he is worthy of the job. When Clarence Thomas was appointed
to the Supreme Court, he was suspected to have harassed a former secretary. The Senate
tried him and found this was not true and confirmed the appointment. The House has no
part in confirmations, which is why the Senate again has more power.
One power that is equally shared in Congress is the power to impeach and try a federal
officer. The impeachment begins with the House. Any federal officer the American
government can be impeached, but the House must find a motive to impeach him. This is one
place where the "common" house can act before the "rich" house. If the House fells so, a
Senator or even a member of the House can be impeached. The one check over this if the
officer does not resign is that the Senate must put the officer on trial and convict him.
The House has the power to act first, but the Senate must then back their actions. 
Congress was outlined in the Constitution to so that two sides we appeased. As seen, the
Senate has much more power over the House. The Senate has a longer term limit and may
debate for hours, where the House has little time and must get things done fast. The
Senate can confirm or reject a presidential appointee. The House has the power of
impeachment over the Senate, but the Senate must the try the impeached. The Senate was
meant to have more power because it was to be made up of the higher-class citizens in
early United States history. Over time the class distinction made no difference but the
powers remained the same. The Senate will always have more power than the House.