The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #244

by Donald A. Ritchie

Many scholars believe that the framers of the Constitution intended Congress to be the preeminent branch of government. Indeed, no other legislature in the world approaches its power. Yet most Americans have only a murky idea of how it works.
In The U.S. Congress, Donald A. Ritchie, a congressional historian for more than thirty years, takes readers on a fascinating, behind-the-scenes tour of Capitol Hill--pointing out the key players, explaining their behavior, and translating parliamentary language into plain English. No mere civics lesson, this eye-opening book provides an insider's perspective on Congress, matched with a professional historian's analytical insight. After a swift survey of the creation of Congress by the constitutional convention, he begins to unscrew the nuts and pull out the bolts. What is it like to campaign for congress? To attract large donors? To enter either house with no seniority? He answers these questions and more, explaining committee assignments (and committee work), the role of staffers and lobbyists, floor proceedings, parliamentary rules, and coalition building. Ritchie explores the great effort put into constituent service--as representatives and senators respond to requests from groups and individuals--as well as media relations and news coverage. He also explores how the grand concepts we all know from civics class--checks and balances, advise and consent, congressional oversight--work in practice, in an age of strong presidents and a muscular Senate minority (no matter which party is in that position).
In this sparkling addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series, Donald Ritchie moves beyond the cynicism and the platitudes to provide a gem of a portrait of how Congress really works.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, American History, Government, United States, Political Science

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2010

Reviews

[Mark Desrosiers]

This my first stab at one of the Oxford Very Short Introductions -- stylish and quick couple-hour reads about topics we think we know about but probably don't. Such as magnetism, happiness, deserts, the Norman Conquest, and.... the U.S. Congress. Here, the current historian of the Senate, Donald A. Ritchie, gives us us a breezy-yet-deep view of the institutions origins, powers, and dysfunctions, with lots groovy trivia and anecdotes. He's like the tour-guide of my dreams: bright, frank, cynical, geeky, and fair. I think I now fully understand why nothing really gets done in Congress, and why it was once more fully connected to the American public. Verdict on my first Very Short Introduction: I feel slightly smarter, but also more enraged.

[Salem Lorot]

Short, apt, well-written. Ritchie's book is that soup you have before a proper meal: warm, tasty, spicy, and not copious enough to satiate your appetite. I like the further reading and the list of films about Congress at the end of the book. This is a great book to be read by those in great hurry.

[Raymond]

A good refresher about America's legislative branch.

[Behrooz Parhami]

After reading "American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction" (see my review), I decided to peruse this book to expand my knowledge of the American political system in the wake of what happened in 2016. Like other books in Oxford’s “A Very Short Introduction” series, this volume packs a lot of information in its 146 pocket-size pages, and it has an informal and highly accessible writing style. In the book’s preface, the author indicates that even though he has spent his entire professional career on Capitol Hill, he has refrained from being defensive or apologetic, aiming instead to provide a description of how the US Congress works, how it has changed, and how it relates to the states, the voters, and other government branches.

Let me begin by listing the titles of the six chapters, that are followed by 6 pages of further readings and viewings (films).

Chapter 1. The Great Compromise
Chapter 2. Campaigns and Constituents
Chapter 3. In Committee
Chapter 4. On the Floor
Chapter 5. Checks and Balances
Chapter 6. The Capitol Complex

Although “compromise” has become a dirty word in our country’s current political climate, the structure of the Congress itself arose from the “Great Compromise,” being set halfway between proportional representation (the House) and state parity (the Senate). Though organized differently and having different internal procedures, the two parts of the Congress have equal power, in that “no bill can become law until both houses pass it with exactly the same wording, down to the last semicolon.”

The size difference between the House of Representative and the Senate has led to different internal structures and rules for efficient operation. The House is much more hierarchical, having a speaker, for example, whereas the Senate structure is flatter, with Senators acting more or less independently. Both Congressmen and Senators strive to introduce (sponsor) important legislation to build up their reputations and cement their legacies, but as Harry Truman once said, a legislator’s greatest accomplishment is often preventing bad laws from passing.

The rules of both houses are archaic and, at times, nonsensical. For example, it is possible to request the reading aloud of a bill of more than 100 pages as a delaying tactic against its passing. Some functions of the Congress are largely ceremonial. For example, in the important area of confirming cabinet nominees, some 95% of all candidates presented are approved. The approval rate is lower for Supreme Court nominees (2/3), largely because their term is indefinite and may span the terms of multiple Presidents.

In the Senate, opponents of a bill may hold the floor through filibuster (from the Dutch word meaning freebooter or pirate). However, the debate may be cut off and a vote forced if 60 Senators vote to do so (the number 60 was arrived at over time, after periods in which 75 or 67 votes were needed). For nearly 50 years, filibuster was a tool of Southern Senators who were intent on blocking Civil Rights legislation. Since parties rarely enjoy majorities greater than 60, the filibuster rule prevents passing of controversial legislation on straight party-lines.

One interesting observation is that a Representative’s 2-year term allows no room for political maneuvering, whereas it is said that a Senator’s 6-year term permits him/her to spend 2 years as a statesman, 2 years as a politician, and 2 years as a demagogue! An important power of Congress is its investigating authority, which is broad and not necessarily tied to specific legislation under consideration. Younger members of Congress have embraced new technologies and regularly use electronic newsletters, Web-based polling, and social-media communication. By the early 2000s, e-mail accounted for 80% of all correspondence.

As the people’s house, the Capitol Building is open to visitors year-round. The typical American visits the Capitol twice in his/her lifetime, once as a kid (with family or on a school trip) and once as an adult, perhaps taking the kids to visit. The history of how the Capitol and its surrounding office buildings developed into their current sizes and complexities is an interesting one.

[Eric]

A very accessible, concise description of Congress from an insider that helps explain its inner workings--with a healthy dose of history and trivia. An easy and engaging read, informative for how short it is.

[Bill]

Worthwhile brief refresher on the House and Senate, and some of their historical differences.

[Daniel]

The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction (third edition, 2023) by Donald A. Ritchie

Ritchie introduces the reader to the US Congress, a topic that barely fits into a library, much less a Very Short Introduction. Ritchie surveys the history of Congress from the founding to the present, highlighting a few familiar names along the way. He struggles to remain even-handed when describing some controversial recent events.

A Very Short Introduction obviously can't cover everything, but I was a bit surprised to see not a mention of climate change. If any humans are still alive in another 100 years, and they have the spare time to study history, they'll wonder what people were thinking in 2024 as they kept extracting and burning fossil fuels as if science were a hoax.

But if you're curious to know how Congress is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, this book is an excellent start.

[Djamel]

A concise, comprehensive book about the Congress it’s History and evolution, its composition and dynamics, its clout and limitations, the deference between its two chambers and its relation to the other branches of government and even the building and the different types of staff. Even if some chapters and passages were a bit technical but necessary, the reading the book was a time well spent.

[Katie]

Very informative and comprehensible with relevant anecdotes featuring familiar names dotted through.

[Patricia]

A good introduction to the way Congress works.

[Everybody’s a Critic]

As always, I enjoy this series immensely. It is my go to whenever the curiosity bug bites.

[John]

Three stars is perhaps unfair. This is a dry - but informative - read, but, given the subject matter, perhaps that is unavoidable.

[Stefan]

A good short intro. Could have done with some more example/anecdotes, but understandable given the brief why more weren’t included.

[Josiah Richardson]

A good refresher on the U. S. Congress. Some personal political commentary towards the end of the book veered the trajectory off course for me.

[Sarah]

Published in 2010, this essential volume inspires nostalgia for politics before 2016 (the entire 240 years of it), warts and all.

[BookWaffle :3]

Having to read this which proved quite helpful for an exam, but did not bring the necessary information it tried to portray.

[Tom Beck]

Great overview and description of Congress , I m inspired to watch notable film recommendations.

[Chris Casey]

It's hard to understand how Senate Historian Donald Ritchie managed to cover so broad a topic as the U.S. Congress in such a small volume, but there's no questioning that he succeeded tremendously in doing so. More than just an academic overview, and despite it's small size, Ritchie still manages to illustrate his descriptions of Congress' inner workings with photos, illustrations, and anecdotes. I'd recommend this not just as an intro to Congress for a beginner to the topic, but as an enjoyable read and refresher to those who already know it well.

[Benjamin]

I think I'll assign this for my GOV 334 course next January.

[Samantha]

Important to understand the United States Congress, but it's pretty boring.

[Mills College Library]

328.73 R598 2010

[he chow]

trash
徒有皮毛，沒有骨相