Who gets this important job of making laws? Congress! This is
the legislature (or lawmaking group) for our country. Congress
is divided into two parts, the Senate and the House of
Representatives. When the Constitution was written, this was the
topic of a huge fight! The large states wanted a legislature
where representation was based on a state's population; the more
people, the power the state would have. Guess who disagreed? The
small states! They wanted a legislature where each state had an
equal say. How was this resolved? By creating a Congress with
two houses. Let's see how this actually works! Congress includes
the U.S. House of Representatives, which is based on population.
The more people a state has, the more votes it has in the House
of Representatives. Each House member represents a district. The
map to the right uses color to show the House districts in each
state. The more colors, the more districts and people a state
has. How many House members does your state have? Click on the
link, and then