United States House of Representatives

Many people help run our country.

They meet in a big building. They help make new rules. These rules are called bills.

Each state has people in this group. Big states have more people. Small states have fewer people. This makes things fair for everyone. The group has 435 members. They work together to lead. It is a big job. Do you want to learn more?

The U.S. House of Representatives is a big group of leaders.

They are one part of the U.S. Congress. The other part is the U.S. Senate. Together, they make laws called bills. The House has special jobs too. They can start bills about taxes. They can also impeach federal officers.

Long ago, leaders had a hard choice. Some wanted every state to have equal power. Other states wanted power based on how many people lived there. They made a Great Compromise. This plan gave the House power based on population. It gave the Senate equal power to every state.

Today, there are 435 voting members.

Each state gets at least one person. Big states like California have many members. Small states like Wyoming have only one. Members serve for two years. They are elected by the people. At first, not everyone could vote. Later, more people gained the right to vote. This happened after the Nineteenth Amendment and the civil rights movement.

The United States House of Representatives is a major part of the U.S. Congress.

It is known as the lower house. The U.S. Senate is the upper house. Together, these two groups make laws called bills. They can pass a bill or defeat it. If both houses pass a bill, it goes to the president. The president can sign it or use a veto to stop it. The House also has special jobs. It can start bills about revenue, which is money for the government. It can also impeach federal officers.

Each state gets a certain number of representatives. This number depends on the state's population. We learn the population through the United States census. Every state must have at least one representative.

Since 1913, there have been 435 voting members. This number changed briefly from 1959 to 1963. At that time, there were 437 members because Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union. Today, California has the most with 52 members. Six states have only one representative. These states are Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Making the House was a hard job for the founders. Long ago, the country used the Articles of Confederation. That system gave every state equal power. Some leaders wanted a new way. The Virginia Plan suggested power based on population. The New Jersey Plan wanted equal power for all states.

To fix this, they made the Great Compromise. This plan created the House and the Senate. The House would use population for its seats. The Senate would give each state equal seats. The Constitution was finished in 1787. It began working in 1789.

Representatives serve a fixed term of two years. People elect them directly. In the beginning, not everyone could vote. This changed over time. The Nineteenth Amendment and the civil rights movement helped more people vote. The House meets in the south wing of the U.S. Capitol. A leader called the Speaker of the House runs the meetings. The members elect the Speaker. There are also majority and minority leaders. These leaders belong to different political parties. Most of the time, there is a two-party system in the House.

History shows that the House has changed a lot. In the 1800s, the North and South often disagreed. They fought about many things, including slavery. This conflict led to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Later, the power of the Speaker grew. A man named Thomas Brackett Reed became very influential in the 1890s.

In the 1900s, the House saw many new rules. Some rules were made to limit the power of leaders. Other rules were made to give more power back to them. Today, the House continues to be a place where leaders make big choices for the country.

The United States House of Representatives is one of two chambers in the United States Congress. It is known as the lower house. The U.S. Senate serves as the upper house. Together, these two bodies hold the authority to pass or defeat federal legislation. These proposed laws are called bills. If both the House and the Senate pass a bill, it is sent to the president. The president can then sign the bill into law or use a veto to reject it.

The House holds several exclusive powers that the Senate does not have. For example, all revenue bills must start in the House. Revenue bills are laws that deal with taxes and government money. The House also has the power to impeach federal officers. This means they can formally charge an official with wrongdoing. Additionally, if no candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College, the House elects the president. This power is defined by the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution.

Members of the House serve fixed terms of two years. Each seat is up for election before the next Congress begins. Seats are filled through direct elections by the people. The number of representatives from each state is based on population. This population is measured by the United States census. Each state is divided into single-member congressional districts. Every state is guaranteed at least one representative.

Since 1913, the number of voting representatives has stayed at 435. This number changed briefly between 1959 and 1963. During that time, there were 437 members because Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 eventually capped the number of voting members at 435 again.

While most members represent states, there are other types of representatives. Five non-voting delegates represent the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories. These territories include Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Additionally, a non-voting resident commissioner represents Puerto Rico. This official serves a four-year term. As of the 2020 census, California had the largest delegation with 52 representatives. In contrast, six states have only one representative each. These states are Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

The structure of the House was born from intense debate in 1787. Before the Constitution, the U.S. used the Articles of Confederation. That system had a unicameral legislature, which means it had only one house. Under that system, every state had equal representation. This caused disagreements between large and small states. During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, two main ideas emerged. The Virginia Plan wanted representation based on population. The New Jersey Plan wanted equal representation for every state.

To solve this conflict, the delegates reached the Great Compromise. This agreement created a bicameral legislature. It gave the House proportional representation based on population. It gave the Senate equal representation for each state. This allowed the central government to be stronger while protecting state rights. The Constitution was ratified in 1788 and implemented in 1789. The House met for the first time on April 1, 1879, in New York City. It later moved to Philadelphia and eventually to Washington, D.C.

History shows that the House has faced many periods of deep division. In the 19th century, the North and South fought over issues like slavery. The North had more people and dominated the House. This led to conflicts like the Wilmot Proviso, which tried to ban slavery in new lands. These tensions eventually contributed to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. After the war, the Reconstruction era saw the Republican Party hold large majorities.

The leadership of the House has also evolved significantly. In the 1890s, the influence of the Speaker of the House grew. Thomas Brackett Reed, known as "Czar Reed," was a powerful Republican Speaker. In 1899, the positions of majority leader and minority leader were created. The House usually operates under a two-party system. The Speaker is elected by the members to lead the proceedings. Over time, reforms have changed how much power the Speaker and various committees hold. These changes reflect the ongoing effort to manage how the American government functions.