The U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate — page 1 — (cid:3) (cid:3) TABLE OF CONTENTS (cid:144)(cid:3)(cid:144)(cid:3)(cid:144) 4 INTRODUCTION Legend has it that Daniel Webster of Massachusetts once won an ar gument in court with the devil 7 CHAPTER NO_ 1 17 CHAPTER NO_ 2 THE UPPER HOUSE The U S Senate is often called the greatest deliberative body in the world But it certainly wasn’t the first of its kind SENATE STANDOUTS The period from the late 1830s through the 1850s is often re garded as the Golden Era of the U S Senate 27 CHAPTER NO_ 3 37 CHAPTER NO_ 4 WORKING THE LEVERS OF POWER The Civil War was the product of tensions that had been building since the nation’s founding more than 70 years before EVERYBODY DISAGREES Throughout the 19th century peo ple across the U S recognized the mounting problems with the way senators were elected

The U.S. Senate — page 2 — 46 Endnotes 47 Selected Bibliography 47 Websites 48 Index REFERENCE WE THE PEOPLE 9 EDMUND G ROSS Voted against Johnson’s dismissal 10 HIRAM REVELS First black Senate member 19 ROBERT LA FOLLETTE Challenger of government corruption 20 HUEY LONG Advocate of government welfare programs 29 HATTIE CARAWAY First elected female Senate member 30 ROBERT TAFT Opposer of U S involvement in WWII 39 ROBERT BYRD Longest-serving congressman 40 HILLARY CLINTON First female senator from New York

The U.S. Senate — page 3 — INTRODUCTION Legend has it that Daniel Webster of Massachusetts once won an argument in court with the devil THE U S SENATE So when he rose to address the Senate on March 7 1850 everyone ex pected a stirring condemnation of slavery the nation’s most divisive is sue But Webster took a surprising approach It is fortunate that there is a Senate of the United States he said He went on describing the Senate as a body to which the country looks with confidence for wise moderate patriotic and healing counsels Webster offered a compro mise historians say held the nation together for another decade How ever he was criticized so intensely that he resigned A century later another senator John F Kennedy wrote that Webster’s speech was his greatest act of courageous principle Indeed it was one of many instances in which huge personalities have collided with principles in the U S Senate a place where history has been made by the people 4

The U.S. Senate — page 4 — The Great Compromiser Henry Clay presented the Compromise of 1850 to the Senate

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