Final answer:
The United States Congress is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House represents people based on population, while the Senate ensures equal representation for all states. This structure was established to balance different forms of representation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bicameral Nature of Congress
The United States Congress is a bicameral (two-chamber) lawmaking institution that plays a crucial role in the United States federal government. This structure consists of the House of Representatives, with 435 members, and the Senate, with 100 members. The House of Representatives is intended to represent the people directly through apportionment based on population, with larger states receiving more representatives. Contrastingly, the Senate's purpose is to represent the interests of the states equitably, with each state receiving two senators irrespective of size.
The creation of a bicameral legislature was a compromise achieved during the Constitutional Convention, designed to balance two different forms of representation. While in the House each state's representation is proportional to its population, in the Senate every state is represented equally, regardless of its population. This dual approach ensures that both the people, on the one hand, and the states, on the other, have a voice in federal legislation.
In addition to the United States, approximately 40 percent of the world's democracies also operate with a bicameral system. However, states like Nebraska have chosen a unicameral system for their state legislature. The concept of a bicameral legislature is enshrined in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which specifies that all legislative powers granted shall be vested in a Congress, which consists of the Senate and House of Representatives. In effect, members of both houses work together to propose, discuss, and pass legislation that governs the nation.