Answer- The major motive for creating
Congress by the United States Constitution was to represent people
in government. The historical evolution of Congress has been
divided into four eras.
- The Formative Era-
This era of Congress remained from 1780s to 1820s. During the
Formative Era, the idea to replace the Articles of Confederation
with the U.S. Constitution was proposed.
- The Partisan Era-
This era started from the 1830s to the early 1900s. The Partisan
Era witnessed a lot of corruption between different political
groups in the United States, the Republicans and the Democrats. The
main issue during this era was slavery and the political parties
have different views about it. In Partisan era, Congress was given
the authority over financial matters and power to levy taxes.
- The Committee Era-
This era of Congress lasted from 1910 to 1960. The real leadership
in both houses of Congress was seen in the Committee era. There
were two main structural changes during this era- the direct
election of senators and Lame duck reforms.
- The Contemporary
Era- This era started from 1970s till now. Scholars think
that the Contemporary era has led to more intense partisanship. In
this era, the role of media has become more prominent that affected
the nagative and sensational side of the Congress. In this era,
republicans have controlled both houses.