The United States Congress basically functions the way the Founding Fathers, the framers, had stated it would in the Constitution.  They stated that the United States Congress would consist of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which are still the two functioning bodies of the Congress today.  The Constitution states many things, and there have only been 26 amendments to the Constitution since the document was written in 1776.  This is extraordinary, considering all the events our country has been through.  You could also say that it has changed a little because the issues the Congress faces now are very different from the decisions the Congress had to make back in the 18th and 19th centuries.  The Congress has had to adapt to these changes.

The Congress was set up originally by delegates who went to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.  Their instructions were to change the Articles of Confederation.  Instead of doing what they had been instructed, they wrote a magnificent document, what we now call the Declaration of Independence.  The purpose of this declaration was to write a document that stated the laws for what hoped to be a new nation.  There were different opinions about what kind of government should be put into affect.  They decided they wanted an organized government, and the way the delegates balanced the three branches of the government, the legislative, executive, and Judicial, is still the same today.  They believed that each branch should put limits on, or check, all the other branches.  The delegates knew there would have to be amendments to the Constitution, so they made a difficult amending process.  This was how the first Congress met and how the Constitution was starting to develop.

The Congress today is still made up of the Senate and House of Representatives.  The Senators' and Representatives' days are full and eventful.  Many have very busy schedules, including appointments with many people, reviewing bills, and having orientations with other members of Congress.  The Congress affects our lives daily by improving our air travel, minimizing pollution, increasing our defense, improving the education for children, and giving support to various groups of people.  The Congress is a very important part of our lives today.

The differences between the Senate and the House of Representative is there are 100 Senators, 2 from each state, and 435 representatives, which is determined by the population of each state.  The Senate's leader is the vice-president, but the House of Representatives' leader is the Speaker of the House.  Some differences 'in the procedures of the House and the Senate are the House has five calendars, but the Senate only has two.  'The House doesn't practice "holds," but individual Senators can place "holds." The Senate and the House can both pass bills, but all bills for revenue must start in the House.  The Senate tries impeachment cases, but the House has sole power for impeachment.  These are only a few of the differences between the Senate and House.

The Checks and Balances are the checks that each branch can place on the other.  This helps to keep the government more organized, and it makes sure that one branch doesn't have more power than the other.  The Founding Fathers definitely knew what they were doing when they started the 1st Congress and wrote the Constitution.  Our Congress and Constitution, with only a few changes, are basically the same as they were back in 1776.
 
 

http://congress.indiana.edu/

http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/mega.html

http://www.congresslink.org/congress.html

http://www.denver.k12.co.us/schools/middle/hamilton/constitution

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html