political process

Congress approaches its 250th anniversary as a forum for resolving differences

• The United States Congress has provided an enduring, if imperfect, forum for the country’s pursuit of a more perfect union.
• The House and Senate as recognized today first convened in 1789.
• Congress is not yet celebrating its 250th anniversary.
• Congress drafted the Bill of Rights, which the report says enshrines, for many people, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms as elements of American identity.
• Congress has passed modern-day legislation on taxes, civil rights, war and peace.
• Philip Wallach said, “Congress needs to be the place where we figure out how to live with each other.”