Qualifications to be a United States Representative

What are the constitutional qualifications to serve as a  U.S.  Representative? The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S.  Congress, and it currently counts 435 men and women among its members. House members are popularly elected by voters residing  in their home states. Unlike U.S. Senators, they do not represent their entire state, but rather specific geographic districts within the state known as Congressional Districts. House members may serve an unlimited number of two-year terms, but becoming a representative has specific requirements beyond money, loyal constituents, charisma, and the stamina to make it through a campaign. Requirements to Become a U.S. Representative According to Article I, Section 2 of the U.S.  Constitution, House members must be:at least 25 years of age;a citizen of the United States for at least seven years prior to being elected;a resident of the state he or she is chosen to represent. In addition, the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any person who has taken any federal or state oath swearing to support the Constitution, but later took part in a rebellion or otherwise aided any enemy of the U.S. from serving in the House or Senate. In addition, the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any person who has taken any federal or state oath swearing to support the Constitution, but later took part in a rebellion or otherwise aided any enemy of the U.S. from serving in the House or Senate. No other requirements are specified in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. However, all Members must take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution before being allowed to exercise the duties of the office. Specifically, the Constitution states, â€Å"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.† The Oath of Office The oath taken by both Representatives and Senators as prescribed by the United States Code reads: â€Å"I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.† Unlike the oath of office sworn by the President of the United States, where it is used only by tradition, the phrase â€Å"so help me God† has been part of the official oath of office for all non-presidential offices since 1862. Discussion Why are these requirements for being elected to the House so much less restrictive than the requirements for being elected to the Senate? The Founding Fathers intended that the House be the chamber of Congress closest to the American people. To help accomplish that, they placed decidedly few hurdles that might prevent any ordinary citizen from being elected to the House in the Constitution. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, â€Å"Under these reasonable limitations, the door of this part 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.† State Residency In creating the requirements to serve in the House of Representatives, the founders drew freely from British Law, which at the time, required members of the British House of Commons to live in the villages and towns they represented. That motivated the founders to include the requirement that Members of the House live in the state they represent in order to increase the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people’s interests and needs. The Congressional district system and the process of apportionment were developed later as the states dealt with how to fairly organize their congressional representation. US Citizenship When the founders were writing the U.S. Constitution, British law banned persons born outside England or the British Empire from ever being allowed to serve in the House of Commons. In requiring members of the House to have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, the founders felt they were balancing the need to prevent foreign interference in U.S. affairs and keeping the House close to the people. In addition, the founders did not want to discourage immigrants from coming to the new nation. Age of 25 If 25 sounds young to you, consider that the founders first set the minimum age to serve in the House at 21, same as the voting age. However, during the Constitutional Convention, delegate George Mason of Virginia moved to set the age at 25. Mason argued that some should pass between becoming free to manage one’s own affairs and managing the â€Å"affairs of a great nation.† Despite an objection from Pennsylvania delegate James Wilson, Mason’s amendment was approved by a vote of seven states to three. Despite the 25 year age restriction, there have been rare exceptions. For example, 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,  Claiborne was allowed to serve under Article I, section 5 of the Constitution, which gives the House itself the authority to determine whether Members-elect are qualified to be seated.   Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer and a former copy editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper. Updated by Robert Longley

Knights Versus Romanticism - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1883 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/31 Category Art Essay Level High school Tags: Romanticism Essay Did you like this example? Knights are often hailed from the medieval era as heroes and legends, especially with fantasy reincarnations of these military romantics. In the beginning of the 20th century, British painter Edmund Leighton specialized in many idealized medieval subjects. One of his most famous paintings being The Accolade (Oil on canvas, 1901, 57 in ?— 39 in). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Knights Versus Romanticism" essay for you Create order This painting depicts an Accolade, a ceremony that bestows knighthood. This painting is quite fantastical. There is a heavy focus on the two figures closest to the viewer, the Queen and the soon-to-be knight. There is a crowd of figures bearing witness to this event congested in the mid-right corner, but they are not treated as important as the two central figures, based on the washout of light painted on top of them. Both the knight-to-be and especially the queen are extremely beautiful looking. This painting, along with many of Leightonrs and others at this time, feed into the romantic ideal of what being a knight was like. When in actuality, being a knight was simply a way of life, and was not always so great. Beginning as young as age seven, boys would start their work to become a knight by becoming a page in a castle , an attendant to a nobleman. Alongside their work, they would also learn about archery, sword skills, and horsemanship. Around the ages of ten to fourteen, a page would become a squire. A squire was essentially a knight internship. Squires continued to lengthen their knowledge about fighting skills and the code of chivalry, whilst assisting the knight they were working under with weapon polishing, armor polishing, stable keeping, etc. If the boy made it to the age of 21, then he would be able to vow his allegiance to his lord and become a knight. After all, according to Thomas Hobbes, life in the later middle ages was nasty, brutish, and short . The daily activities of knights would start at dawn with a mass, being that knights and Europe were in general mostly catholic during this period, this was the first prayer of the day, where there would also be one mid-morni ng, evening, and once more before sleep. Knights were the military of the middle ages. To simply put, they were soldiers. Why knights seem so influential and heroic, falls back onto the idea of chivalry. Chivalry coming from the French word chevalier, or knight. Arguably, many of the chivalry rules were put in place to keep knights from becoming power hungry tier one noblemen, and to regulate violence in general. Yet, it would be foolish to believe that all knights followed all rules of chivalry all the time. It was likely that there were bad knights who abused their power. Albeit, smaller power than we think that they had. The basis of chivalry can be summarized as such: maintain god, serve your lord/lady with your all, fight for the wellbeing of all but do not get into unnecessary battles, honor fellow knights, respect women, and to fight for the good and not for the money. Knights were not supposed to kill or get involved in unnecessary battles, but the loophole to this was claiming someone of being a heretic. They could easily twist these rules. Jousting would, in theory, be frowned upon based on the rules of chivalry. A knight should not be killing another knight, but it happened anyway due to these loopholes. Many knights did not have their own castles, many did not even get paid well. Often times, knights stayed at the castle of the head monarch, to serve in an instant if needed. The ceremony of being knighted is symbolic, the iconic tapping of the sword on the shoulders and head symbolizes that the monarch can easily dispose of the knight if they displease them. Chivalry in itself died out after the middle ages, but was reborn again during the Victorian era. This could be why there is such a heavy romantic view on knights and their chivalry, as it seems to be confused with newer Victorian chivalry. Sarah Douglas writes in a review of Chivalry in Medieval England, As such, our impression that knights roamed the countryside in highly stylized accoutrements battling evil and selflessly saving those in need is the product of art or literature generated long after chivalry ceased to be a factor on the battlefield. Romanticism boomed once again in the Victorian era. These works of art made during said era, have left a heavy imprint on us to believe in these ideals of what knights were. When in fact, it was due to the more modern chivalry rules being places upon subjects who had older chivalry rules. The story of King Arthur also heavily romanticizes the idea of being a knight. Lancelot is the most famous knight of the Round Table. Hetta Elizabeth Howes writes on this romanticism, stating: Lancelot is, according to some versions of the story, born to a fairy mother, or, according to others, born to the Lady of the Lake. He is one of Arthurrs best knights, skilled with a sword and a lance, and in almost all versions in which he appears he is absolutely dedicated in his love for and service to Queen Guinevere. He rescues her from death countless times, and cuts open his hands prying open iron bars to rescue her. Their love is one of the enduring features of Arthurian romance; however, it also contributes to the destruction of the Round Table and the fall of Arthurrs utopian kingdom. Lancelot is an example of romanticism being done both in a genuine love-romantic way, and glorification of both his character and his role as a knight. He was born to a supernatural being, immediately this is unrealistic, unfortunately. Having been born to a divine being, this makes him an important character, in a way being related to that of Achilles: A character who also had a divine mother, and known for being a great warrior. Lancelot is both bold and brave, proving to be a great and skilled soldier. But also having a softer side of being a lover. Even if that love is for someone elsers wife. These stories are of fiction. Lancelot is almost the perfect knight in regards to following the rules of chivalry, ignoring the fact that his affairs ruined the Round Table. As stated previously, it was highly unlikely that most knights followed all codes of chivalry, and that these codes were in place to keep knights in line. Not to make them legendary dreamboats. So how romantic is The Accolade? Firstly, this painting is pleasing to oners eye, as there is a golden ratio between the Queen, Knight-to-be, and witnesses. All of these figures are placed strategically in a way to bring the eye around the painting as a whole. The queen is dressed all in white, which is symbolic of innocence and purity. She is extremely beautiful, young, and has a powerful role of being the queen. Her dress and self are embellished in golden jewelry, with gemstones accentuating each piece. Being that this piece was crafted in the 20th centenary, it is not a Victorian piece, but is influenced heavily by the Victorian romance. The knight is knelt submissively below his queen, we do not see much of his features other than a slice of his profile. This anonymity makes it easy to self-insert oners own ideal of who the knight is. This caters to the viewer greatly. Hers dressed boldly in a red tunic, which immediately draws the eye in onto him. As stated in the begin ning, the witnesses are not so important to this piece, as they are washed out with light. There is some importance, though, in recognizing that there is a squire looking on, who can be identified as the boy holding the knightrs shield. He looks at the scene unfolding in front of him in an almost dreamy manner, as that could be him one day. A priest is holding onto his shoulders reassuringly. Edmund Leighton was not the only medieval romantic painter of his time, Sir John Everett Millais made paintings in a similar fashion of idealization a few years prior. His nearly life size painting, Knight Errant (Oil on canvas, 1870, 72in ?— 53in), depicts a chivalrous act of a knight rescuing a recently robbed woman tied to a tree. When displayed in the royal academy in 1870, Millais accompanied his own text next to the work, stating The order of Knights errant was instituted to protect widows and orphans, and to succour maidens in distress. This goes back to the summarization of chivalry. This painting is a night scene, with a crescent moon visible in the upper left hand corner. The female figure is nude, her clothes are seen disheveled on the forest floor to the lower left of her. The tree shers tied to is a Silver Birch, which was commonly identified with femininity in the 19th century. You can see two figures fleeing the scene from the upper right corner. The k nightrs sword has blood on it and when you look towards his feet, there is a bloodied torso of a dead man. This painting is a prime example of the idealization of a knight. This knight featured in this painting is extremely heroic and chivalrous in all aspects. Not only is he saving a damsel in distress, but he also took down and scared off her attackers, while he is completely unharmed. His facial expression is stern, yet calm. X-rays of this painting show that originally, Millais had the nude female figure making eye contact with her savior. But poor reviews of this edition of the painting coaxed Millais to change her stance, and make her take a more modest approach. Unfortunately, like many female nude figures in this era, Millais was also criticized for this nude appearing too real. Knowing that chivalry was revived and endorsed via the Victorian era, and that knights where just simple soldiers of their time, this painting leaves a sort of kitsch taste. It is extravagant and pl ayed on through the mistaken ideals that have been setup for us. Knight Errant has a blunter, in-your-face approach of heroism compared to The Accolade. Both of these paintings are idealized, glorified, and have a strong sense of heroism. The era these paintings were created in, after Victorian times, strongly correlate with the idea that the Victorian era imprinted onto our ideals of what a knight was. The art made after the rebirth of chivalry has confused and infected our views as to what chivalry was like during the medieval ages. When in actuality, it was a military job one began training for during childhood, and if made to the age of 21, granted the most minimal nobility status. Chivalry was created to dispel and frown upon violence. And, as typical human nature works, did not make every knight the heroic romantic we think that they were today. At most, they were a pawn for their monarch in charge. Symbolized when taking their vows that said monarch could cut them off easily. When not battling for said monarch, they were constantly trainin g and keeping up with prayer. It was a job that was better than being a merchant or a farmer, but still seemed to be just another job.

Cleopatra Leader Free Essays

Cleopatra VII was a remarkably intelligent woman with great charisma and political astuteness. The ancient historian, Plutarch, stated that â€Å"to know her was to be touched with an irresistible charm. Her delightful manner of speaking was such as to win the heart. We will write a custom essay sample on Cleopatra Leader or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (Bradford 14). She utilized these assets to win over the favor of two of the most powerful man of Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Cleopatra is portrayed as being manipulative, conniving; and accused of utilizing her relationships for the advancement for power and the expansion of her empire. Although this is true, there were stark differences in the two relationships Cleopatra had with each man. She reached out to Caesar in her time of no power and continued to be submissive to him throughout their relationship. Even though there was a speculated love connection between the two, Caesar never lost sight of his priority as a politician and did not concede to every one of his mistresses’ requests. While a reversal of roles occurred with Marc Antony, she had the upper hand and he eventually became fiscally and emotionally dependent on her. In addition, he was easily manipulated, thus Cleopatra frequently got her way. Overall, the territorial gain and the power she had over him proved that Cleopatra’s relationship with Marc Antony was more politically beneficial than with Julius Caesar. Firstly, Cleopatra’s submissiveness and political dependency on Julius Caesar proved to be less beneficial in contrast to her relationship Marc Antony. In 48BC, she was a young 22 year old trying to regain her Ptolemaic throne from her brother, she knew he was the most powerful in the world and understood that that the Roman Consul was the only one who could aid her. Bradford noted that Cleopatra realized the â€Å"only one weapon that her brother, back by his powerful advisers, did not have [was]-her sex. † (70) The speculation that she was sneakily presented to him rolled up in a carpet displayed her submissiveness to his authority and beckoning for his help in regaining her throne. Caesar managed to initially appease Cleopatra’s desire for power by reading her father’s will and forcing her brother, Ptolemy XIII, and herself to rule together. Later he gained managed to gain more power for her by commanding her to â€Å"marry† her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, for she would hold all of the power due to his age. This pretense was set up in order to make her complacent but still remained a superior force with his diplomatic choice. By having both the siblings rule he abided to Egyptian law and did not panic the people and cause them to rebel. How to cite Cleopatra Leader, Papers

Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Realism free essay sample

During the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, Realism, Impressionism, and Post- Impressionism were forms of art that transpired. These techniques in art brought a sense of individualism to Europe; thus, people were inspired to make art that represented society. Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism reflected European Society through their expressions of depicting life as it truly was, hastily capturing moments in time, and painting nature as the artist conceptualized them, not how it really was. Realism was an art form, prominently created in France, where life was depicted as it truly was, nothing exaggerated, amplified, or idealized. Art in the 19th and 20th centuries created art for â€Å"art sakes†. As opposed to the depending on patrons to fund artist’s works such as the church and nobles, they had a sense of artistic freedom and hoped to make money by selling to the general public. This is a distinct contrast to the Renaissance and Baroque periods when the elite appointed artists to create art specifically for their taste. We will write a custom essay sample on Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Realism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Realistic supporters used art to portray life as it truly was, and to express themselves. Art was subtle, sublime, and mundane, characteristics or realism in art. Artists sent their greatest works to the Paris Salon to be judged, in which ironically, their art was rejected due to its ordinary subject matter and bland style. Francois Millet, a realistic artist depicts farmwomen gleaning the fields after the harvest in The Gleaners. Honore Daumier depicts a grandmother, a daughter, and her infant traveling on a railroad in Third-Class Carriage. This painting is a prime example of how the railroad positively impacted the lives of peasants, making it possible to travel, or move to the cities. Realism didn’t only pertain to painting, but also to literature. Thomas Hardy, an English realistic writer and poet, authored Tess of the d’Urbervilles, which depicted an unmarried woman being ostracized for having pre-marital sex. Another English writer Mary Ann Evans, or George Eliot, her pen name, examined ways in which people are shaped by their social class as well as their own inner endeavors, conflicts, and moral choices. Their analysis and writings depicted the realities of life and trends that occurred in the 19th century in the most realistic manner. Impressionism was another style of art that arose in the 19th and 20th centuries. This style was meant to capture a moment in time, quickly, leaving highly visible brush strokes. Painters sought to capture the momentary overall feeling, or impression, of light falling on a real-life scene before their eyes. The impact of photography and cameras made creating highly realistic photos something obsolete and artists now moved from trying to perfectly catching an image to speed painting. This can be seen as a branch of realism, just painted faster. Claude Monet was the primary impressionist painter. Impression Sunrise is considered the first impressionist painting, which depicts the countryside in Giverny, France. In contrary to Monet, Camille Pissarro was deemed as the â€Å"father of impressionism. † Pierre Auguste Renoir, a French impressionist painter, produced Le Bal au Moulin de la Galette, which depicts a typical Sunday afternoon in Paris, and he also created landscapes and candid nude figures. Impressionism gave way to Post-Impressionism later in the 19th century. Post-Impressionism was the desire to know and depict worlds of emotion and imagination; in other words, creating the worlds the way artist perceives it, not the way it truly was. It sought to portray unseen worlds other than the visible world of fact. Cubism was a technique used that concentrated on zigzagging lines and overlapping planes, which were used by several post impressionist artists. Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Pablo Picasso were major post impressionist artists that produced masterpieces that are sought after till this day. Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh was a salient image of post-impressionism due to its surreal style that kept it distinct from the real world, or any works from impressionism or realism. This was the way van Gogh perceived that night, not how it truly was. Paul Cezanne particularly committed to from and ordered design. His later works became increasingly abstract and nonrepresentational. His style moved from a three-dimensional realm, to a more two- dimensional perspective, much like Pablo Picasso, a profound post impressionist painter. Picasso is considered a post impressionist painter and a cubist, in which his art fell into both categories. Cubism was abstract and contained zigzagging lines that overlapped. Art over the years had meaning, but gradually morphed into nonrepresentational pieces of art that could not be analyze. His style of cubism, which he developed in 1907, paved the way for modern art of the 20th century to emerge. Ultimately, realism, Impressionism, and post-impressionism reflected society in Europe in the late 19th and 20th centuries, in which it depicted societies trends, and everyday lifestyles. However in post-impressionism, art became more abstract, thus, it wasn’t analytical. Many artists contributed to their styles and are seen as major and influential people in the history of the arts.