MADISONCENTER FOR AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
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connected.

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The constitutional text

Article I · Section 2

Select any highlighted phrase to understand what it means.

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

[Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.]* The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Source: National Constitution Center edition. Original wording is preserved; commentary explains historical and superseded provisions.

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202 elements · 219 connections · One constitutional systemOpen the reader
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You don’t have to understand everything at once. One connection is a good beginning.

LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 — representation bounds

A maximum density and a minimum seat

Current text
The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative;

What it means

The House may not contain more than one representative for every thirty thousand people, and each state must have at least one. The wording limits how densely representation may be allocated; it does not promise one representative for every thirty thousand indefinitely.

Historical setting

The founding design left Congress room to increase the House as the country grew. Equal minimum representation for each state coexists with a chamber otherwise apportioned by population.

What it does

The familiar House size of 435 is statutory, not written into this sentence. Changes to the overall size must still respect the constitutional minimum for every state and the applicable apportionment requirements.

Debate & interpretation

A larger chamber can make representatives more accessible while complicating deliberation and coordination. A smaller chamber may work efficiently but increase the distance between individual constituents and their representatives.

A common misreading

The clause does not constitutionally fix the House at 435 seats or require a new seat whenever a state gains thirty thousand people.

Think it through

How would you choose a chamber size if you had to balance access, knowledge of constituents, and practical deliberation?

Follow the connection

Sources & further reading

Original Madison Center commentary. Explanations distinguish the text, historical context, and interpretive disagreements.

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