<P> Government powerlessness led to the Convention of 1787 which proposed a revised constitution with a two--chamber or bicameral congress . Smaller states argued for equal representation for each state . The two - chamber structure had functioned well in state governments . A compromise plan was adopted with representatives chosen by population (benefiting larger states) and exactly two senators chosen by state governments (benefiting smaller states). The ratified constitution created a federal structure with two overlapping power centers so that each citizen as an individual was subjected to both the power of state government and the national government . To protect against abuse of power, each branch of government--executive, legislative, and judicial--had a separate sphere of authority and could check other branches according to the principle of the separation of powers . Furthermore, there were checks and balances within the legislature since there were two separate chambers . The new government became active in 1789 . </P> <P> Political scientist Julian E. Zelizer suggested there were four main congressional eras, with considerable overlap, and included the formative era (1780s--1820s), the partisan era (1830s--1900s), the committee era (1910s--1960s), and the contemporary era (1970s--today). </P> <P> Federalists and anti-federalists jostled for power in the early years as political parties became pronounced, surprising the Constitution's Founding Fathers of the United States . With the passage of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Anti-Federalist movement was exhausted . Some activists joined the Anti-Administration Party that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were forming about 1790--91 to oppose policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton; it soon became the Democratic - Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Democrat Party and began the era of the First Party System . Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency marked a peaceful transition of power between the parties in 1800 . John Marshall, 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court empowered the courts by establishing the principle of judicial review in law in the landmark case Marbury v. Madison in 1803, effectively giving the Supreme Court a power to nullify congressional legislation . </P> <P> These years were marked by growth in the power of political parties . The watershed event was the Civil War which resolved the slavery issue and unified the nation under federal authority, but weakened the power of states rights . The Gilded Age (1877--1901) was marked by Republican dominance of Congress . During this time, lobbying activity became more intense, particularly during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant in which influential lobbies advocated for railroad subsidies and tariffs on wool . Immigration and high birth rates swelled the ranks of citizens and the nation grew at a rapid pace . The Progressive Era was characterized by strong party leadership in both houses of Congress as well as calls for reform; sometimes reformers would attack lobbyists as corrupting politics . The position of Speaker of the House became extremely powerful under leaders such as Thomas Reed in 1890 and Joseph Gurney Cannon . The Senate was effectively controlled by a half dozen men . </P>

Who represent our problems in the parliament house