Congress facts and facts about congresses, from the Random Facts shelf.
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The U.S. Constitution was finalized, signed, and forwarded to Congress by the members of the Constitutional Congress in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
Before the Constitution, the "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union" had been in place to hold the American Colonies together ever since 1778.
Congress is also known as the legislative branch of the U.S. government, in other words, they are the law makers.
In 1862, to support the Civil War, Congress enacted the nation's first income tax law. Congress eliminated the income tax in 1872 and it had a short-lived revival in 1894 and 1895.
In 1913 the income tax was brought back and became a permanent part of American life. It provided a seemingly unlimited source of funds to finance ever-growing government, and it gave the government an excuse to pry into every aspect of your life.