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Congress: The Context
Unit and lesson plans prepared by teachers using CongressLink resources and features.
2, 4, 6,
8…Who Knows What's in Article I, Section 8? (or
Powers of Congress)
In this lesson, students read Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution
and create a poem, rap, cheer, or song that presents the powers
of Congress creatively. As a wrap-up, students justify which
Congressional powers they believe are most important.
Congressional
Powers
The general purpose of this unit is to introduce high school
students to the powers of the United States Congress through
the use of CongressLink and other related Internet resources.
In this unit students will develop a fundamental knowledge concerning
the powers of the United States Congress, compare the powers
of the U.S. legislature with that of another nation, and assess
the current role of the Congress with reference to the ideology
of the framers of the Constitution. This unit will help students
learn to classify legislative powers, compare and contrast legislative
powers, and evaluate the status of Congress today.
Congressional Power, Organization, the Differences Between the House and the Senate, and Criticisms
Then and Now
In Federalist No. 51 Madison wrote, "In a Republican
government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates.
The remedy for this inconvenience is to divide the legislature
into different branches." The Framers of the Constitution
took great care in organizing the legislative branch of the United
States government into a bicameral system to avoid overpowering
the other two branches. There are distinct differences between
congressional power and organization of the House of Representatives
and the Senate. In this lesson, students will discuss
among their group why the Framers chose to organize the legislative
branch of the U.S. government in the manner that they did.
War-Making:
The Use of a Congressional Power
The purpose of this lesson is for the student to understand the
sharing of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches
in the war-making power. Students will also gain an insight into
the events surrounding the declaration of war in 1941 and the
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964.
What
in the World Should Congress Do?Students will use primary sources to decide when they think it is appropriate for Congress to intervene in foreign affairs.
