History of the United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one part of the United States Congress, which is the law-making group in the federal government of the United States. It is called the lower chamber because it works together with the United States Senate, known as the upper chamber. Both were created by the United States Constitution and had their first meeting on March 4, 1789, in a building called Federal Hall in New York City.

The story of the House of Representatives starts even before 1789, during the early days of the American Revolutionary War. Since it began, people have voted directly to choose their representatives. At first, not everyone could vote, but over time, more people were allowed to, especially after important changes like the Nineteenth Amendment and the civil rights movement.

The Continental Congresses

The First Continental Congress was a meeting of representatives from twelve of Great Britain's North American colonies in the fall of 1774. They sent a list of complaints to King George III. When he did not respond and the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775, the Second Continental Congress met with all thirteen colonies. On July 4, 1776, they declared these colonies free and independent, calling them the "united States of America." The Second Continental Congress stayed in charge during the war and created the Articles of Confederation, the country’s first constitution, in 1777. All states agreed to it by 1781.

Articles of Confederation and new Constitution

Under the Articles of Confederation, there was a group called the Congress of the Confederation where each state had the same say, no matter its size. This often led to problems because states could ignore decisions made by this group. Because of these issues, leaders decided to meet in 1787 to create something better.

During this meeting, there was a big debate about how Congress should be set up. Some leaders, like James Madison, wanted two groups in Congress: one chosen directly by people and another chosen by the first group. Big states liked this idea because it would give them more power based on how many people lived there. Smaller states wanted just one group where each state would have the same say. Finally, they made a deal: one group, called the House of Representatives, would give more say to bigger states, while the other group, called the Senate, would give each state the same say. This new plan, called the Connecticut Compromise, helped create the United States Constitution, which officially started on March 4, 1789.

18th century

The House of Representatives started its work on April 1, 1789, when it had enough members present for the first time. There were 59 members from 11 states. Later, North Carolina and Rhode Island also chose representatives, bringing the total to 65.

During the 1st United States Congress, Frederick Muhlenberg from Pennsylvania, who was a Lutheran minister and a politician, became the first Speaker of the House.

19th century

The early 1800s saw the United States House of Representatives growing more independent from the President, starting during the time of James Madison. For much of the first half of the 1800s, the balance between the northern and southern states in the Senate stayed even, but the more populated North had more power in the House.

During the Civil War, Thaddeus Stevens was a key leader in Congress. He helped create important laws to support the war and change how the country handled money and trade. After the war, he also played a big role in planning how the country would rebuild.

The Democrats, who had been a small group, became stronger in the 1870s and took control of the House. The years after the Civil War, known as the Gilded Age, saw the House change as members started to stay longer and focus on specific jobs. Power spread out from just the Speaker of the House, and members who worked longer often moved up in important positions.

20th and 21st-centuries

In the early 1900s, leaders in the House of Representatives became very powerful, especially the Speaker. One important leader was Joseph Gurney Cannon.

In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to serve in the House of Representatives. Later, in 1973, the first woman page was appointed.

For many years, the Democrats mostly controlled the House of Representatives. But in 1994, the Republicans took control. The Democrats returned to power in 2006 with Nancy Pelosi as the first woman Speaker. Control changed again in later elections.

Number of Representatives

The number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has changed over time. It grew as new states joined the country and as the population changed. In 1911, a law was passed to fix the number of seats at 435. Each state gets at least one seat, and the seats are shared based on how many people live in each state.

Even though the U.S. population grew a lot since 1911, some people suggested adding more seats to the House. One idea is called the Wyoming Rule, which would add seats so that each area has about the same number of people.

Representatives who served as President

Nineteen presidents of the United States also served in the House of Representatives. This shows how important the House has been in American history.