Congress Meets
"Congress Meets" refers to the biennial gathering of the United States Congress, which occurs on January 3 following the elections held in November. This tradition has evolved over time, originally starting with the first Congress convening on March 4, 1789. The choice of March as the meeting date was practical, given the slow communication and travel methods of the late 18th century, where winter travel posed significant challenges. However, advancements in transportation and communication during the early 20th century prompted a reconsideration of this schedule. The Twentieth Amendment, ratified in 1933, officially changed the meeting date to January 3, allowing Congress to convene sooner after elections, thus adapting to the modern pace of governance and communication. This change aimed to enhance the efficiency of legislative processes by ensuring that the new Congress could meet and address pressing matters more promptly. As a result, the current structure reflects both historical context and contemporary needs in American governance.
On this Page
Congress Meets
Congress Meets
Every two years, there are elections for the Congress of the United States. These elections take place in November, and on the following January 3, the new Congress convenes. The January 3 meeting date took over a century and a half to evolve, however.
When the first Congress went into session on March 4, 1789, the members lived in a day and age when winter was a time for staying at home. There were no railroads or airplanes; most roads were not paved, and travel by ship could take months. Thus, a person elected to Congress in the November election needed time to travel to Washington, D.C., bring family and personal possessions by ship or wagon, and establish a household. Therefore, the March 4 date for the meeting of Congress was a convenient one. Further, since communications were slow, there was no particular reason why a new Congress should be in any particular hurry to meet: Even serious matters such as a declaration of war could take months to be conveyed.
By the early 20th century, however, the situation had changed. Now there were telephones and telegraphs, so both news and events moved much faster than in 1789. And with the development of modern roads, railroads, ships, and airplanes, traveling to Washington, D.C., in the winter was much less onerous. Therefore, it began to seem archaic for Congress to meet in March. The result was the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, which became effective on October 15, 1933, during the 73rd Congress:
Section 1.…the terms of Senators and Representatives [shall end] at noon on the 3d day of January…and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Therefore, the 73rd Congress was two months shorter than usual, since it began on March 4, 1933, before the Twentieth Amendment became effective, but ended on the new date of January 3, 1935.