A history of American legislatures, 1619-2024 / by Peverill Squire.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Squire, Peverill, Author.

Series:

Studies in constitutional democracy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congress--History.

United States.

United States. Congress.

Legislative bodies--United States--History.

Legislative bodies.

Legislative bodies--United States--States--History.

Legislators--United States--History.

Legislators.

Legislative power--United States--History.

Legislative power.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xvii, 358 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Columbia : University of Missouri Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Peverill Squire demonstrates that we can trace an (almost) uninterrupted path from that first assembly in Virginia in 1619 to the contemporary Virginia General Assembly, and to the U.S. Congress and the other forty-nine state legislatures. He presents a concise yet comprehensive history of American legislatures covering their more than four-hundred-year existence. Squire does not examine any one type of legislature in isolation because colonial, national, state, and territorial bodies all contributed to the developmental process. Accordingly, the book's chapters examine discrete legislative topics rather than historical eras"-- Provided by the publisher.

Contents:

Origin stories

Number of legislative houses

Capitals and capitols

Apportionment, electoral rules, and membership size

Legislative sessions

Membership qualifications for legislative service

Legislative terms of office

Legislative election cycles and election dates

Who served as lawmakers?

The contours of legislative service

Legislative staff

Legislative leadership and political parties

Legislative rules and procedures

Legislative committees

American legislatures and professionalization.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780826223500

0826223508

OCLC:

1541906563