Question

Chapter 11, section 4

1. What is the role of Congress in amending the U.S. Constitution? What happens after Congress does
its part in the process? (Refer to the first unit's notes.)
2.
When does the House of Representatives get to choose the president? When was the last time this
happened? Who picks the vice president in this situation?
3. What does it mean to impeach someone? Who does this and by what vote?
4.
After someone is impeached, what happens in the Senate? What vote is required in the Senate to
remove someone from office?
What three presidents have faced impeachment? Explain briefly what happened in each case.
What two powers (not involving impeachment or making a bill become a law) does the Senate alone
hold? What vote is needed in each case?
5.
6.

Answer 1

Congress plays a crucial role in amending the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives chooses the president in a contingent election, impeachment is the process of charging a public official with misconduct, and the Senate holds the power to ratify treaties and confirm presidential nominations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Role of Congress in Amending the U.S. Constitution:

Congress plays a crucial role in the process of amending the U.S. Constitution. In order to amend the Constitution, an amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. After Congress does its part, the proposed amendment is then sent to the states for ratification.

Choosing the President by the House of Representatives:

The House of Representatives gets to choose the president if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes. In this situation, the House holds a contingent election, where each state delegation in the House has one vote. The most recent time this happened was in the election of 1824. In this situation, the vice president is picked by the Senate, using the same process.

Impeachment and Removal from Office:

Impeachment refers to the process of charging a public official with misconduct while in office. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach someone, which requires a simple majority vote. After someone is impeached, the Senate holds a trial to determine whether to remove the person from office. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove someone from office.

Presidents who Faced Impeachment:

Three presidents have faced impeachment: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020. In each case, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president but the Senate did not reach the two-thirds majority required for removal.

Powers of the Senate:

The Senate holds two powers that do not involve impeachment or making a bill become a law. First, it has the power to ratify treaties, which requires a two-thirds majority vote. Second, the Senate has the power to confirm presidential nominations for executive and judicial positions, which requires a simple majority vote.

Learn more about The role of Congress in amending the U.S. Constitution, contingent election for choosing the president, impeachment process, the Senate's powers