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Monday, July 22, 2019
The Senate of the United States Essay Example for Free
The Senate of the United States Essay The national government of the United States of America is divided into three branches: the executive, legislative and judiciary. The legislative branch is further divided into two, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Indeed, the Senate is a law-making body, but what is its role and function in the political system of the United States? How did it come into existence? This research paper aims to discuss the history of the United States Senate, as well as its role and function in the United States political system.            The history of the United States Senate began on July 16, 1787 (â€Å"Senate Created†). During this date, those who wrote the U.S. Constitution, also known as Framers, decided upon what is called the â€Å"Great Compromise,†which is also called as the â€Å"Connecticut Compromise†(â€Å"Senate Created†; â€Å"The Senate†). This compromise was responsible for the creation of a bilateral legislature; the Senate would equally represent all the states, and the House of Representatives would do the same, only â€Å"in proportion to their respective populations†(â€Å"Chronology†; â€Å"Senate Created†).            The Constitution Framers established the Senate to protect the rights of every state as well as the voice of the minority in a federal government (â€Å"Senate†). In creating the Senate, the councils of colonial governors and the state senates that were derived from them were used as a pattern. According to James Madison, the Senate had two roles (â€Å"Senate†). The first one is â€Å"to protect the people against their rulers†; the second is â€Å"to protect the people against the transient impressions into which they themselves might be led†(qtd. in â€Å"Senate†).            Before the compromise was made, the state delegates insisted that state representation must be consistent with the state size (â€Å"The Senate†). This means that it is the population of the state that would dictate how many senators would represent them. This would result in the Senate having the upper hand in the legislative branch due to their number. After the Compromise was made, the Senate and the House were given equal allotment of power (â€Å"The Senate†).            The equal allotment of power between Senate and the House was made for purposes of balance among the small and big states during the Constitutional Convention (â€Å"Senate†). To secure the jurisdiction of the particular states, the Framers determined that the â€Å"state legislatures would elect senators†(â€Å"Senate†). Consequently, the Framers gave these senators a term that lasts for six years, as opposed to House members term of only 2 years. Madison explained that there is stability in a longer term. He reasoned that there are more House members than senators in the legislative branch; it is only through the giving of longer terms for senators that would prevent the legislative branch from being â€Å"overwhelmed†(â€Å"Senate†). However, some people expressed concern over the possibility of aristocracy that comes with a longer term; as a result, it was established that the terms of the senators would â€Å"expire every two years†(â€Å"Senate†).            The Constitutional Convention also determined the number of senators per state (â€Å"The Senate†). One senator did not seem a reasonable option. This is because during the senators sickness or absence, no one would substitute for him and his state would have no representative at that time. The next problem was adding too many people in the Senate. If there are more senators, the Senate would be bigger and hold more influence than the members of the House. If the quantity of senators continues to increase, the quality of the Senate would decrease. This is because an overcrowded Senate would not fulfill its role and function well. In the end, the delegates had to decide between having two or three senators. In the end, it was decided that every state would have two senators, as indicated in the Constitution. On September 17, 1787, out of the 55 delegates of the Constitutional Convention, only 39 wrote their signatures in the Constitution (â€Å"The Senate†).            On September 30, 1788, the first senators of the United States were elected (â€Å"Senate Created†). They were Pennsylvania Senators Robert Morris and William Maclay. The victory of Maclay was relevant; this is because he was the only one who maintained a diary of the sessions at the Senate at a time when they occurred â€Å"behind closed doors†(â€Å"Senate Created†).            In 1789, March 4th marked the first assembly of the Senate at chamber in the second storey of Federal Hall in New York (â€Å"Chronology†; â€Å"Senate†). That same year, on April 6th, the Senate accomplished its first quorum, with twelve members present (â€Å"Chronology†; â€Å"Senate†). With New Hampshire Senator John Langdon as â€Å"president pro tempore,†the first task of the Senate was to convene with the members of the House to tabulate the ballots of the recent elections, in which George Washington emerged victorious in the presidential race (â€Å"Senate Created†). It was also the day when the senators elected â€Å"a doorkeeper, secretary, and chaplain†(â€Å"Chronology†). Vice President John Adams took oath on April 21st; President Washington did the same on the 30th (â€Å"Senate†).            On December 6, 1790, the U.S. Congress started to take residence in Philadelphia; they would stay in this address for a decade (â€Å"Chronology†). On November 17, 1800, the Senate moved to the north wing of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., despite the fact that it was not yet finished. Four days after, the Senate had â€Å"its first quorum in the new national capital†(â€Å"Chronology†). In the beginning of the Constitutional Convention, the Framers initially wanted to assign the authority of creating treaties and appointing judges in federal courts and ambassadors (â€Å"Senate†). In the end, however, it was decided that these tasks were to be shared by both the Senate and the president. The president is responsible for making the nomination, while it is the senators’ job to either agree or disagree. The Senate became responsible for giving consent on nominations and treaties given by the president (â€Å"Senate†). On June 24, 1795, the Senate exercised its power by approving Jay’s Treaty (â€Å"Chronology†). On December 15th that same year, they also exercised authority over the federal courts as they rejected the nomination of John Rutledge for the Supreme Court (â€Å"Chronology†). December 1795 marked the end of the long tradition of having legislative sessions in private (â€Å"Chronology†). On January 5, 1802, stenographers and note takers were granted permission by the Senate to enter the chamber floor (â€Å"Chronology†). There had been many changes that occurred in the U.S. Senate. To begin with, the number of senators had significantly increased through the centuries (â€Å"Senate†). In addition, the Senate now has committees, something that was not included by the Framers during the creation of the Senate. Initially, the committees were temporary and were created for legislation. At present, the committees have been made permanent. The 1920s ushered in an era when the Senate committees have assumed a more substantial role, this time in the field of investigation. The committees held investigations which dealt with issues in government, such the leasing of oil in the1920s, the Vietnam War in the 1960s and the Watergate Scandal of the 1970s (â€Å"Senate†). The United States Senate was initially created for state representation. The role of the Senate was preserve states’ rights and opinion, to equally distribute power in both federal and state governments. Through time, it has become more relevant. From approving nominations and treaties to taking part in crucial investigations, the Senate has assumed a bigger role in U.S. government. In the end, it is the U.S. Senate that provides balance in the U.S. political system. Works Cited Baker, Richard. â€Å"Senate Created.†United States Senate. 15 April 2008 http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senate_Created.htm. Baker, Richard. â€Å"US History Companion: Senate.†Answers.com. 15 April 2008 http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-senate. United States Senate. â€Å"Senate Chronology.†15 April 2008 http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/chronology.htm. United States Senate. â€Å"The Senate and the United States Constitution.†15 April 2008 http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Constitution_Senate.htm.
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