Understanding the Constitution: Article I, Basic Legislative Powers (Section 1, 2, 3 and 4)
As part of our look at the basics of the Constitution, we are making available the basic text of the founding document, along with the official explanations written for the Senate by the Library of Congress. Part one of this series looks at the first four sections of Article I.
Article I of the Constitution defines the Legislative Branch, or Legislative Department. The first four sections of this extensive article establish that the federal government has three branches, with Congress holding the legislative power; its defines who can serve in the House and Senate under what circumstances; and it establishes an Electoral process for Congress.
The text in the left column is from the official literal text as stated the Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (2014), the detailed history of the Constitution updated regularly by the Library of Congress. The explanations in the right column were supplied by the Library of Congress to the U.S. Senate.
