Committees improve the organization of the Senate and House of Representatives. Members of Congress cannot be experts on all issues. For this reason, the Senate and House of Representatives developed committees that focus on particular subjects.

The issue of slavery permeated debate in Congress from the founding of the country through the mid-nineteenth century. The failure to resolve differences between states on the issue of slavery led to the Civil War. To manage both the war effort and its consequences, Congress crafted new legislation that addressed a changing nation.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

Together, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S Senate are called Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government.

The United States Congress consists of two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are many similarities between these institutions, so what are the differences?

Congressional Apportionment: The United States Senate consists of how many members? The answer is fairly simple: with two members apiece representing each of the fifty states, the total is one hundred. How about the House of Representatives? The answer is much more complicated.

For more than two hundred years, the Capitol has been the place where representatives of the American people have debated how best to achieve the nation's ideals. This exhibit displays some of our most important documents, drawn primarily from the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives, to illustrate the role of Congress in defining and helping to realize national goals and aspirations.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

For more than two hundred years, the Capitol has been the place where representatives of the American people have debated how best to achieve the nationâ ideals. This exhibit displays some of our most important documents, drawn primarily from the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives, to illustrate the role of Congress in defining and helping to realize national goals and aspirations.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

The issue of slavery permeated debate in Congress from the founding of the country through the mid-nineteenth century. The failure to resolve differences between states on the issue of slavery led to the Civil War. To manage both the war effort and its consequences, Congress crafted new legislation that addressed a changing nation.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

Congress is the forum where elected representatives address issues facing the nation. These issues sometimes arise from conflicting ideas within the nation, or from the pressures of world events. By providing a place for debate and compromise, Congress has led the nation through challenging times.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

Congress is the forum where elected representatives address issues facing the nation. These issues sometimes arise from conflicting ideas within the nation, or from the pressures of world events. By providing a place for debate and compromise, Congress has led the nation through challenging times.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

The power to investigate, implied by the U.S. Constitution, is one of Congressâ most important tools for developing effective public policy, conducting oversight, and informing the public.
Congress has investigated issues throughout its history via formal investigations and fact-finding inquiries with wide-ranging results, often significantly affecting the history of the United States. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

The power to investigate, implied by the U.S. Constitution, is one of Congressâ most important tools for developing effective public policy, conducting oversight, and informing the public. Congress has investigated issues throughout its history via formal investigations and fact-finding inquiries with wide-ranging results, often significantly affecting the history of the United States. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period known as the Progressive Era, the United States experienced dramatic social, cultural, and political change. Confronted with domestic and international challenges, Congress reexamined the governmentâ role in the economy and the environment and the nationâ place in the world.
Prominent investigative journalists called 'muckrakers' and citizen activists pushed Congress to pass landmark legislation, and states ratified new amendments to the Constitution. This period of dynamic reform forever altered the democratic process, the notion of 'We the People' and the everyday lives of all Americans. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period known as the Progressive Era, the United States experienced dramatic social, cultural, and political change. Confronted with domestic and international challenges, Congress reexamined the governmentâ role in the economy and the environment and the nationâ place in the world.
Prominent investigative journalists called 'muckrakers' and citizen activists pushed Congress to pass landmark legislation, and states ratified new amendments to the Constitution. This period of dynamic reform altered the democratic process, the notion of 'We the People' and the everyday lives of Americans. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

Why does the U.S. Constitution separate the government into three branches? At the nationâ founding, the Constitutionâ framers understood that executive, legislative, and judicial responsibilities differed, and they provided for these distinct functions. They also believed that concentrating authority in one body would result in tyranny. They therefore divided the government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, so that no single part would become too strong, and empowered each to limit or check the powers of the others. This virtual exhibit examines Congressâ unique role and the ways in which it can balance or dynamically shape and challenge the powers of other two branches.

Why does the U.S. Constitution separate the government into three branches? At the nationâ founding, the Constitutionâ framers understood that executive, legislative, and judicial responsibilities differed, and they provided for these distinct functions. They also believed that concentrating authority in one body would result in tyranny. They therefore divided the government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, so that no single part would become too strong, and empowered each to limit or check the powers of the others. This virtual exhibit examines Congressâ unique role and the ways in which it can balance or dynamically shape and challenge the powers of other two branches.

Instrumental to our identity and future national development, the War of 1812 both shaped and was shaped by Congress. International in scope and economic in nature, the war would not only inspire a national anthem, but would define Congressâ mission for the era to come and fundamentally change the nationâ political parties.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

Instrumental to our identity and future national development, the War of 1812 both shaped and was shaped by Congress. International in scope and economic in nature, the war would not only inspire a national anthem, but would define Congress’ mission for the era to come and fundamentally change the nationâ political parties.
Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

World War I (1914 - 1918) and World War II (1939 - 1945) were cataclysmic events, which spurred Congress to address the nationâ role in the world. As foreign aggression increasingly threatened national security, Congress refined its isolationist stance by declaring war on its enemies. To prepare the country for these wars, Congress debated and passed legislation to recruit citizens to serve their country, expand the U.S. citizenry and their rights, regulate the domestic economy, and define national loyalty. These laws forever changed the nation and the everyday lives of all Americans. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.

World War I (1914 - 1918) and World War II (1939 - 1945) were cataclysmic events during the twentieth century. Congress debated new international commitments and chose dramatically new courses in the aftermath of each world war, defining American foreign policy for the rest of the century. Domestically, Congress passed landmark legislation affecting veterans, women, American Indians, and the structure of the federal government. It also investigated “red scares” with controversial results. As Congress faced the challenges of a post-war world—in 1918 and again in 1945—it considered and enacted legislation that would change the lives of millions of Americans. Learn more in this virtual exhibit.