Ever hear someone say they don't "stand on ceremony?" That means they like to keep it casual and laid-back. They're not all about the rules of etiquette and not mixing plaids and stripes. They probably wouldn't care if we ate our dessert with a dinner fork.

Legislative acts are the complete opposite of that. They totally stand on ceremony. Like, solidly, both feet firmly planted right on top of ceremony. Wondering why every section of this act starts with "And be it further enacted"? Ceremony. That's why.

Starting sentences with the same words over and over again is called anaphora. In speeches and songs and literary works, it's usually done for effect. In official documents like the Kansas-Nebraska Act, it's done because it's very, very official.

And also because it keeps everything super-duper, crystal-clear. There is no doubt in anyone's mind what, exactly, is being enacted, when every section begins with "And be it further enacted."

Oh, this section is being enacted?

And this one?

And this one too?

Okay, 33rd Congress, we got it. Thirty-seven sections in this act, and it looks like every single one is being enacted.