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Lesson

The Nature of Representation in the U.S. Congress

Duration
105 min
Published
Nov 5, 2020
A large group of people gathered in a formal legislative chamber with many seated and some standing in the background.
The framers of the Constitution set up a system of representation for the United States, which although informed by the experiences of other republics, was different from them. Outside the U.S. today, the main system of representation in republics is the parliamentary system, which lacks separation between the executive and the legislative branch. Under a parliamentary system, the chief executive, usually called a prime minister, is a member of parliament, but the Constitution establishes the legislature and the executive as two independent, but closely connected, branches. Members of the U.S. Congress experience a fundamental tension between being a trustee for the interests of the people and being their delegate. They also must balance the demands of the district with the interest of the nation, as well as determining the appropriate level of political party loyalty.

Founding Principles

Civic Virtue, Representative / Republican Government, Separation of Powers

Objectives

  • Students will identify the chief differences between the U.S. congressional system and a parliamentary system of representation, and evaluate the relative merits of each.
  • Students will identify the chief characteristics of a single member election district and a proportional representation system and evaluate the relative merits of each.
  • Students will distinguish between representation by trustee and representation by delegate, and evaluate the relative merits of each.
  • Students will describe the different competing interests facing a member of the U.S. Congress, and evaluate which interest should supersede the other in different situations.

Materials

Student Handouts

Teacher Resources

Lesson Components

ActivityHandout A: Background Essay: The Nature of Representation in the U.S. Congress
ActivityHandout B: Two Hypothetical Countries
ActivityHandout C: Proportional or Single Member Districts?
ActivityHandout D: Delegate or Trustee?
ActivityHandout E: Congressional Voting Scenarios
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Lesson plan

105 minClick a phase to open it

Key Terms

Parliamentary system
Chief executive
Prime minister
Legislature
Executive

Standards

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