This is the second blog in a series on the foundation of the US government, as established in the Constitution.

Article I - Legislative Powers
The first article of the US Constitution establishes the legislative branch, which outlines the powers and the limits of Congress.

House of Representatives
Representation of the House is proportioned by a decennial census, giving each state the minimum of one representative. The District of Columbus and territories are excluded. The total current count is fixed at 435, but it has varied through history. The House gives "We the People" a voice in the Federal government for drafting of legislation, determining expenditures, conducting impeachment votes, and other Federal issues. Elections are held every even numbered year in all districts.

Senate
Each state has two senators, regardless of population, which brings the current total to 100. A senator holds a six-year term and was originally appointed by a state legislature or governor. The Seventeenth Amendment overrode this method of appointment in favor of elections staggered on even numbered years, while states can directly appoint senators yet to fill vacancies. The Senate gives states a veto power in Federal matters, such as presidential appointments, treaties, and legislation. In the event of a tie in a vote, the Vice President gets the tie-breaking vote.

Additional Items
-The president must sign and bill passed by Congress for it to go into law.
- Congress can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote of both the Senate and the House.
- Southern slaves were counted as 3/5 a person in the census as a compromise between the North and the South in the North's effort to abolish slavery within a generation. The South wanted to give slaves a full count to shift more representation to their states. The North said that since slaves were no considered citizens, they should not count, which would have shifted representation to the North to allow abolition.

Enumerated Powers
-Lay and collect uniform taxes to pay the debts and provide for the military and general welfare
-Borrow money
-Regulate foreign and domestic commerce
-Establish uniform rulew of naturalization and of bankruptcies
-Coin money, regulate monetary value, and standardize measurements
-Provide for punishment of counterfeiting
-Establish post offices and roads
-Establish intellectual property and discovery securities
-Constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court
-Define and punish piracies and felonies committed at sea and those against nations
-Declare war and determine rules relating to capturing of war criminals
-Regulate the military and plan budgets for it in two-year terms
-Regulate a navy
-Regulate government and set army and naval rules
-Call forth the military to execute the laws, stop insurrections, and repel invasions
-Organize, arm, and discipline, the military, while leaving appointment of officers and training to the states
-Oversee the national capital
-Make all laws needed to carry out the other enumerated duties

Limitations of Congress
-No taxation for trade between states
-No suspending of Habeas Corpus except during rebellion or invasion
-No sentencing without a trial
-Direct taxation changes will only come after a census
-No taxes on exports from states
-No preferences in regulation of commerce between states or ports
-No money can be drawn from the treasury outside of passed laws, and these expenditures must be publicized
-No titles of nobility can be granted in the US, and officeholders can only accept gifts from foreign royalty after Congressional approval

Limitations of States
States cannot override any powers granted by the Federal government in this Article.

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Thank you for taking time to read this. The next blog in this series will cover Article II, the Executive Branch.