The US House of Representatives was established under Article One of the United States Constitution, which officially went into effect on March 4, 1789. Members of the House have been directly elected by American voters since the legislative body was formed.
James Madison, who is known as the Father of the Constitution, wrote in Federalist No. 52 that “it is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people, so it is particularly essential that the branch of it under consideration should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the people.”
He insisted that “frequent elections are unquestionably the only policy by which this dependence and sympathy can be effectually secured.” The framers of the Constitution largely agreed with Madison and required House members to run for reelection every two years.
In the lower chamber’s early years, the House was mostly focused on constitutional debates, with coalitions playing a major role in passing laws and choosing leaders. From the late 1800s until the mid-1900s, the legislative body became more controlled by the majority party, which gained power over leadership, rules, committees, and the legislative agenda. From the mid-20th century onward, the House introduced reforms to increase transparency and oversight.
Because its membership is based on the population of each state, the House has always been larger than the Senate. There were only 65 Representatives in the first Congress, but that number has grown to 435 Representatives, as well as six nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia and US territories.
