Article 1, Section 7 of the u.s. constitution, specifies how congress (law-makers) check & balance their powers with the executive branch

      Throughout its history, the Senate has played a key role in shaping legislation that has had far-reaching effects on American politics and society. Below is a sample of statutes and constitutional amendments that have changed the face of the nation and the stories of how the Senate helped secure their passage.  

(click on each to learn more)

· The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act

· The Pacific Railway Act of 1862

· The Civil War and Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution

· Civil Rights Act of 1875

· The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution

· The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution: The Senate and the Women's Fight for the Vote

· Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Civil Rights Act at 50

· National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/landmark_legislation.htm