16th United States Congress

The 16th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819, to March 4, 1821, during the third and fourth years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1810 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority. Major events A "speech for Buncombe County, North Carolina" given by North Carolina representative Felix Walker in 1820 was credited with introducing into the language the term "bunkum". March 6, 1819: McCulloch v. Maryland: Supreme Court ruled that the Bank of the United States is constitutional. July 3, 1820: United States House of Representatives elections, 1820 began in Louisiana August 7, 1820: 1820 United States Census conducted, eventually determining a population of 9,638,453, of which 1,538,022 were slaves. November 13–15, 1820: A special election for the House speakership takes 22 ballots. December 3, 1820: U.S. presidential election, 1820: James Monroe was re-elected, virtually unopposed. Major legislation