2nd United States Congress

Congress Hall , meeting place from the 1st to the 6th Congress

The 2nd United States Congress met between March 4, 1791 and March 3, 1793, the third and fourth years of President George Washington's office . It met in the Congress Hall in Philadelphia . In both chambers of the Congress, except for the last session, the Senate had a majority for the Pro-Administration Party .

Significant events

March 4, 1791: Congress approves Vermont to become the 14th state.
December 15, 1791: The Bill of Rights is ratified by three-quarters of the states and comes into force.
April 5, 1792: The President makes use of his right of veto for the first time , thus preventing a law of the Congress that was to determine the distribution of the seats of the House of Representatives among the states.
June 1, 1792: Congress approves Kentucky becoming the 15th state.
October 13, 1792: The District of Columbia is established. At the same time, the foundation stone of the White House is laid.

Major legislation

February 20, 1792: The Postal Service Act establishes the Ministry of Post .
April 2, 1792: With the Coinage Act of 1792 , the United States Mint is established as the federal agency responsible for the minting of US dollar coins and further regulations governing coinage are established.
May 2, 1792: The first Militia Act of 1792 gives the President the right to take command of the state militias in the event of an invasion or rebellion.
May 8, 1792: The Second Militia Act of 1792 establishes conscription, armament, and training in state militias.
February 12, 1793: The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 stipulates how the retrieval of fugitive slaves is to be carried out under procedural law.

March 2, 1793: The Judiciary Act of 1793 , which also included the Anti-Injunction Act , refined procedural and judicial constitutional law at the federal level.

Parties

There were no organized parties in either the Senate or the House of Representatives at the time. There were, however, two groups, the Anti-Administration Party and the Pro-Administration Party . While members of the Anti-Administration Party later founded the Democratic Republican Party , the Pro-Administration Party was the forerunner of the Federalist Party .

House of Representatives

grouping		Beginning		The End
grouping		MPs	Share of votes	MPs	Share of votes
	Pro-Administration (P)	39	57.4%	40	55.6%
	Anti-Administration (A)	29	42.6%	32	44.4%
	Vacant	1		1
total		68		72

senate

grouping		Beginning		The End
grouping		Senators	Share of votes	Senators	Share of votes
	Pro-Administration (P)	17th	68.0%	17th	58.6%
	Anti-Administration (A)	8th	32.0%	12	41.4%
	Vacant	1		1
total		25th		29