What Does the Constitution Say About House of Representatives
Constitutional Qualifications
"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five Years, and been 7 Years a Denizen of the Usa, and who shall non, when elected, exist an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall exist called."
— U.Due south. Constitution, Article I, department 2, clause ii
/tiles/non-drove/i/i_origins_constitutional_qualifications_aoc.xml Scene at the Signing of the Constitution, Howard Chandler Christy, 1940, image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol
The Constitution placed notably few hurdles between ordinary citizens and becoming a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative chamber closest to the people—the to the lowest degree restrictive on age, citizenship, and the simply federal role at the fourth dimension bailiwick to frequent popular election. The Constitution requires that Members of the House be at least 25 years erstwhile, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the land they represent (though not necessarily the same district). And Article VI, clause 3 requires that all Members have an oath to support the Constitution earlier they practise the duties of their office. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, "Nether these reasonable limitations, the door of this role of the federal government is open to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether young or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any particular profession of religious faith."
Origins
The constitutional qualifications for office originate in British law. Members of the House of Commons had to live in the shires or boroughs they represented, although that was rarely done in practice. The founders used that example to motivate the requirement that Members of the House alive in the state they represent. This would increment the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people'south interests in that location, but in that location was no mention during the debates virtually living in the same district. The district system emerged later equally states dealt with how to fairly organize their congressional delegations.
Citizenship
At the time the U.S. Constitution was written, the British prevented anyone born outside England or its Empire from serving in the Eatables, even if the private had subsequently become a denizen. Past mandating that an individual be a citizen for at least 7 years, the founders attempted to strike a residue between preventing foreign interference in domestic politics and keeping the Business firm of Representatives close to the people. The founders also did not desire to discourage clearing to the new land by shutting off the government to new arrivals.
Age
The founders initially gear up 21, the voting age, as the minimum age to serve in the House. During the Federal Ramble Convention, though, George Mason of Virginia moved to make the age 25. Mason said that there should exist a period betwixt being complimentary to manage 1'due south own affairs and managing the "affairs of a great nation." Convention Consul James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the proffer that any further restrictions be placed on House membership, and cited the service of William Pitt as a counterexample. Pitt, who held office at the fourth dimension of the Convention, was the youngest prime minister in British history at the age of 24. Nevertheless, Bricklayer's subpoena passed vii states to three.
The House and Its Members
Commodity I, department 5 of the Constitution provides the House with the say-so to decide whether Members-elect are qualified to be seated. For instance, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to ever serve in the House when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the age of 22. The Firm too seated Claiborne at the historic period of 24, when he won re-ballot. The House, nonetheless, has not always been so lenient. Representative John Young Chocolate-brown of Kentucky was offset elected to the House in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, but the House refused to administer the adjuration of office to him until he was 25—subsequently the first session of the Congress was over.
For Further Reading
Farrand, Max, ed. The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Rev. ed. 4 vols. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1937.
Madison, James, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay. The Federalist Papers. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.
Story, Joseph. Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States. three vols. Boston, 1833.
Source: https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Constitutional-Qualifications/
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