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==Houses==

==Houses==

Congress is divided into two houses, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[House of Representatives]].  The Senate gives equal weight for each state, with each state electing 2 senators who serve 6 year terms.  The House is proportioned based upon [[population]], with each House member serving a 2 year term.  The House and Senate must agree for [[legislation]] to be enacted.  The [[President]] can [[veto]] that legislation which can then be overridden by a 2/3rds majority of both Houses of Congress.

Congress is divided into two houses, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[House of Representatives]].  The Senate gives equal weight for each state, with each state electing 2 senators who serve 6 year terms.  The House is proportioned based upon [[population]], with each House member serving a 2-year term.  The House and Senate must agree for [[legislation]] to be enacted.  The [[President]] can [[veto]] that legislation which can then be overridden by a 2/3rds majority of both Houses of Congress.

The basis of these two components come from [[James Madison]]'s [[Virginia Plan]] and [[William Patterson]]'s [[New Jersey Plan]]. During the [[Philadelphia Convention]] in 1787, Madison's [[Virginia]] Plan called for two houses both of which would be represent each state based on its population. Smaller states took issue with this, as the provision was highly favorable to Virginia. Thus, William Patterson proposed the [[New Jersey]] Plan - which called for one house that represented each stated with a single vote. Eventually the [[Connecticut]] delegates proposed the [[Connecticut Compromise]] - which called for two houses, the upper of which would represent each state equally, and the lower of which would represent each state according to population.<ref>Boyer, 187</ref>

The basis of these two components come from [[James Madison]]'s [[Virginia Plan]] and [[William Patterson]]'s [[New Jersey Plan]]. During the [[Philadelphia Convention]] in 1787, Madison's [[Virginia]] Plan called for two houses both of which would be represent each state based on its population. Smaller states took issue with this, as the provision was highly favorable to Virginia. Thus, William Patterson proposed the [[New Jersey]] Plan - which called for one house that represented each stated with a single vote. Eventually the [[Connecticut]] delegates proposed the [[Connecticut Compromise]] - which called for two houses, the upper of which would represent each state equally, and the lower of which would represent each state according to population.<ref>Boyer, 187</ref>