The Constitution and Congress

Article I describes Congress and is longer and provides more detail on legislative powers than the articles dealing with the executive and judicial branches.

A compromise at the Constitutional Convention between more populous and less populous states resulted in a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Structural differences between the chambers were designed to establish checks and balances within Congress itself.
According to James Madison in the Federalist Papers, a bicameral legislature "doubles the security to the people, by requiring the concurrence of two distinct bodies in schemes of usurpation and perfidy."
Madison used "usurpation and perfidy" to describe the dangers of faction, where a majority or minority could threaten individual rights or the interests of the Republic.
The dangers of faction are contained through federalism, the separation of powers among the three branches, and the division of legislative authority within Congress.

House members are directly elected by eligible voters in their districts to remain close and responsive to the public.
Representatives serve two-year terms to maintain accountability to voters while providing sufficient time to gain competence in "the great theater of the United States."